Altering Destinies
by Kimmy Coo
Summary: Bruce Wayne . . . Lois Lane . . . Two Worlds Collide . . . Destinies Altered. This is how I see a Bruce Wayne/Lois Lane romance would happen.
1. Chapter 1

**Spoilers:** Smallville Season 8 & The Dark Knight

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. All rights, title, characters and storylines belong to Kane, Shuster & Siegel, Gough & Millar, Swimmer, Slavkin, Peterson & Souders, Goyer & C&J Nolan, DC Comics and WB. Absolutely not for profit.

**Cast:** Lois Lane, Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent

**Supporting Cast:** Alfred Pennyworth, Jimmy Olsen, Chloe Sullivan, Lucius Fox and Lana Lang

**Author's Note:** This is my idea of how a Lois Lane and Bruce Wayne romance would happen. I'm going to let this story and its characters guide me so I'm not quite sure how long it will be. I just hope I do justice to these two iconic DC characters. I hope everyone enjoys. Please note when I first started writing this story, it was during the summer so I was basing what was occurring in Smallville on spoilers and not on what actually occurred in the aired episodes.

**Chapter 1**

_One year ago . . . Gotham City . . . Wayne Enterprises . . . Lucius Fox's Office_

"And so Miss Lane, among the many avenues we are exploring and sectors we are investing in, we here at Wayne Enterprises and in particular Wayne Tech are serious in developing equipment and tools that will help our soldiers in the field."

"Well Mr. Fox, on a personal note, I'm glad to hear that Wayne Enterprises is moving away from heavy arms manufacturing and refocusing its attention back to protecting our soldiers. And I can't wait to see what new ideas will be coming from the innovative Mr. Fox."

Lucius Fox, CEO of Wayne Enterprises, gazed across his mahogany desk at the attractive brunette female reporter from Metropolis' _Daily Planet_. He had finally granted Lois Lane an interview after being inundated over the past two weeks with phone calls and messages from her requesting the same.

Admittedly he was a bit surprised upon meeting Lois Lane - a very beautiful young reporter but he had quickly come to learn that Miss Lane knew her stuff. She had come fully armed with figures of Wayne Enterprises' profit margin, the investments and business ventures the company was involved in and had just proven that she knew detailed history about his previous role at Wayne Enterprises. As he had been taught most recently, people aren't always what they appear to be.

"You have been doing your homework Miss Lane," Lucius commented with a raised eyebrow.

Lois shrugged her shoulders. "When you're the daughter of a general, _Stars and Stripes _and the like pretty much became required reading material in our household. So I got to read up on these cool and fantastical ideas emerging from Wayne Enterprises. Of course there's Congress, the suits at the Pentagon, defense contracts and underbidding by companies such as LuthorCorp that usually put the kibosh on such ideas from ever becoming a reality."

"As I said Miss Lane one of our goals will be finding new and innovative ways to help and protect our soldiers."

"And as the daughter and friend of those in the military, I say thank you." Lois quickly flipped through her spiral notebook and after jotting down a few notes on the pad. The late afternoon sun glinting off of the gold pen in her hand, Lois looked up at Lucius. "I have one more question before we're finished Mr. Fox. What is your take on the Batman?"

"The Batman," Lucius asked. He could not disguise the surprise in his voice. This was something that he was not expecting.

"Well, it is the reason why I'm here in Gotham," she said with a slightly abashed look, embarrassed to admit that the real reason she was sent by a world-renowned reputable paper such as the _Daily Planet_ was to cover a story about a masked vigilante and not about the future endeavors of Wayne Enterprises.

When Lucius only stared at her with a stunned expression, she continued. "For some reason my new editor got it into his head that he wanted to find out more about this urban myth called the Batman and being the investigative reporter I started looking into Gotham City and why this Batman felt the need to take it upon himself to bring justice to the streets of Gotham.

"While in doing this research I came across a little article about how in the first two quarters under the new leadership of Lucius Fox, Wayne Enterprises' profits rose exponentially. Not that Wayne Enterprises turning a profit is newsworthy because it's not but that it all seemed to come on the heels of the company going public, you assuming the CEO position and the return of the prodigal son. Personally this seems more like the story to write but since I need to eat and pay rent, I have to ask about Batman."

"I'm not sure if I'm exactly the best person to give an answer."

"But you are a citizen of the city. I've gotten the man on the street's take of the Batman – a person who lurks in shadows taking down criminals. I have the police's official word – a man who has taken the law into his own hands doling out his own form of justice and I have a pretty good idea as to how the criminals feel but I was curious to know how the more influential citizens felt about this masked crusader."

"Well," Lucius said slowly picking and choosing his words with care. "One can say that this Batman has definitely made his presence known and seems to have had an influence on the city. How influential is yet to be determined."

"A very diplomatic answer Mr. Fox." Lois then flashed him an impish smile. "Don't worry. I won't press you any further. I got my answer. Thank you for granting me an interview," she said as she stood up to leave.

Lucius followed suit. He walked around his desk to escort Lois out of his office. "It was my pleasure Miss Lane." They stopped in front of the office's glass doors and while Lois juggled her notepad, pen and purse in her one hand she shook Lucius' hand.

Lois turned to exit the office. Preoccupied with putting away her pen and pad, Lois was not looking where she was going when she collided with a solid yet warm object. The collision made Lois lose her hold on her purse causing its contents including the pad and pen to tumble to the floor.

Lois stared down at the scattered contents of her purse. "That's just great," she muttered as she knelt down to gather up her stuff. She haphazardly shoved her things back into her purse but came to a stop when the object she had collided with knelt down in his black Armani suit and held out her lip gloss which had come to a rolling stop between his highly polished black leather wingtips.

She took the proffered lip gloss from his hand and then as she stood up Lois finally looked into the famous face of her immovable but very warm, handsome object. "Well, if it isn't the Prince of Gotham," Lois said with a smirk.

The tall, dark, attractive man gave Lois the slow once over and as his gaze came to settle on her face, a slow appreciative smile spread across his handsome features. He raised an eyebrow in query. "You know who I am?"

Lois snorted. "You can't pick up a newspaper in this town and not see a picture or read about the wild and wondrous exploits of Bruce Wayne." Lois stuck out her hand. "Lois Lane, _Daily Planet_."

Bruce looked at her extended hand for a long moment but then with a laconic but cocky smile, he offered his hand in greeting.

As Bruce let go of Lois' hand he asked with a furrowed brow, "_Daily Planet_? Is that a tabloid?"

Lois slowly nodded her head as she looked at him. She had caught the teasing glint in his eye. So the playboy can dish it out. Impressive, she thought. However, not to be outdone she responded in kind. "Wayne Enterprises? Some sort mom and pop upstart company?"

"Touché," he said with an amused smile.

Quickly dismissing the lofty Bruce Wayne, Lois turned back to Lucius Fox who was silently observing his carefree but detached with strangers boss and this strong-willed female reporter butt heads.

"Again Mr. Fox, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule." Lois then faced Bruce once again. "Mr. Wayne," she said with a curt nod.

"Bruce."

"Mr. Wayne. Good bye." Lois turned on her heel and walked out of the office nodding her head to Mr. Fox's assistant as she passed by the woman's desk heading straight for the bank of elevators. As Lois pressed the down button, she softly whistled, "Woooow."

While waiting for the elevator, Lois fought the overwhelming urge to look back over her shoulder and catch another glimpse of Bruce Wayne, the Crowned Prince of Gotham.

Lois took a deep breath and on the exhale her lips curved into a half-smile as she remembered seeing Bruce Wayne in the flesh. Looking into those hazel eyes for the very first time, she felt the ground shift beneath her feet, literally. "Pictures certainly don't do him justice," she softly uttered under her breath as she gazed absently at the elevator doors but after a long second she realized what she was doing and quickly cleared her throat while giving a tiny shake of her head. "Okay Lane, you've had your little fangirl gawking moment. Time to get it together. You've got a bag to pack and two articles to write."

Another thirty seconds passed and still there was no sign of the elevator. "If only this damn elevator would arrive," she muttered as she punched the down button a few more times.

As she stood facing the closed doors, counting the seconds till the elevator arrived, Lois got the sense that someone was looking at her and she knew it wasn't Fox's secretary. She tried not to fidget or squirm. She certainly didn't want to give any outward indication to a certain playboy billionaire that she was consciously aware of his existence.

Just then the elevator dinged its arrival and the steel doors slowly slid open. Lois stepped onto the elevator and when she turned around to punch the lobby button she saw Bruce staring out through the glass doors of Fox's at her. He had the look of a man who was not quite sure what to make of her but was definitely intrigued.

A slow self-satisfied smile spread across her lips. She, Lois Lane, had knocked Gotham's playboy billionaire for a loop.

Across the expanse the reception area through the glass doors, Lois looked Bruce right in the eye. With a slight tilt of her head and the smug grin still firmly planted on her lips, she licked her index finger and then proudly held it up silently conveying to Bruce that she had won this first round. As the elevator's doors slid closed, Lois saw his ghost of smile blossom into a full-blown grin.

**_To be continued . . ._**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

A few hours later in her Gotham hotel room, Lois dressed in blue striped cotton pajama bottoms and a navy blue cropped cotton t-shirt was sitting on the double bed typing furiously away on her laptop trying to write her articles on Wayne Enterprises and the Batman so she could hand them into Grant upon her return to Metropolis the following day.

She was surrounded by her copious notes and research on her two subjects of interest. They were scattered all over the mattress, the floor, the nightstands. She had been researching, investigating, writing ever since her interview with Lucius Fox and her run-in with Bruce Wayne.

Just as she was reaching for her freshly brewed cup of steaming coffee, there was a knock at the door. With a frown Lois climbed off the bed while slipping on a white cotton robe but not bothering to tie it and her pink bunny slippers which despite Chloe's teasing she still had refused to part with. She peered through the door's peephole and saw a tall, silver-haired gentleman dressed in a black suit and dark charcoal grey wool overcoat standing on the other side.

Lois unhooked the chain and slowly opened the door. When she peered out into the hallway she was now able to see a cart covered with a fine white tablecloth holding several covered silver serving dishes. Lois' frown deepened. How odd, she thought. This hotel certainly didn't look like the type of place that would serve food with such elegance.

"Um, I think you have the wrong room. I didn't order room service."

The refined older gentleman with the kindest, gentlest eyes Lois had ever seen bowed slightly at the waist. "Courtesy of Mr. Wayne."

Lois immediately rolled her eyes knowing exactly where this was headed. "Thanks but no thanks. You can tell Mr. Wayne --"

"Would you actually turn down a home cooked meal that Alfred so painstakingly prepared just for you?"

Lois leaned further out peering around the doorjamb and saw Bruce, sporting a lazy smile, leaning against the wall. He looked so out of place dressed in his custom-made suit and overcoat while standing in the well-worn, wallpaper peeling, inadequately lit hallway.

"Mr. Wayne."

"Bruce," he countered with a charming smile.

"Mr. Wayne," Lois repeated.

Bruce flashed her another lazy but 'I-can-charm-the-socks-off-of-you' smile. "I thought you could use a break."

When Lois raised an eyebrow but did not say anything he continued, "You don't strike me as the type of person who would take the time to eat a proper meal when on a deadline." He then stepped away from the wall and walked towards Lois. "Are you going to let us in?"

Lois gazed at Bruce through narrowed eyes trying to get a read on what he was all about but she couldn't get much beyond the charming playboy. She then slid her gaze over at the gentleman whom Bruce had referred to as Alfred then down at the food-ladened cart.

Score one for the playboy, she grumbled to herself. She heaved a reluctant sigh as her empty stomach growled in yearning after having caught a whiff of the tantalizing aromas wafting from the cart but also knowing she had been bested because she couldn't be rude to Alfred. Bruce yes, Alfred no.

"Seeing as you didn't leave me much of a choice." Lois took a step back opening the door wider.

"Lois I'd like you to meet Alfred Pennyworth. Alfred this is Lois Lane of Metropolis."

Alfred nodded his head in greeting as he rolled the cart into the room. "Miss Lane."

"Alfred." Lois nodded her head in return. "Oh and please call me Lois. No need for Miss Lane."

He smiled politely as he rolled the cart past her.

Lois watched Alfred start to set up the food on the tiny dinette table that sat right in front of the large window that overlooked the dark alleyway. "Uh, sorry but this room isn't exactly set up for dining in."

"Don't worry," Bruce said as he crossed over the threshold closing the door behind him. "You'd be amazed at what Alfred could do."

Lois gazed at the silver-haired gentlemen with an ever so proper posture place a bud vase full of yellow Dendrobrium orchids in the center of the table, light some candles and open a bottle of wine. "That I don't doubt." Lois then slid a sideways glance at Bruce. "What are you up to Mr. Wayne?"

Bruce smiled a leisurely smile. "I wanted to properly welcome you to my fair city of Gotham."

Unimpressed, Lois quirked an eyebrow at him. "Try again."

A beat passed before Bruce placed a hand over his heart with feigned conciliation. "You got me Lois. I just wanted to share a fine dinner and stimulating conversation with a beautiful, intelligent, charming woman."

Lois snorted as she rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She then walked away leaving Bruce to watch her walk over to the table to peer at the dishes that Alfred was uncovering.

After a moment he followed, joining Lois and Alfred in front of the window but as he passed by the bed he glanced at the paper, note cards, printouts scattered all over it and the floor.

As Alfred poured the Cabernet Sauvignon into their wine glasses Bruce pulled out Lois' chair silently inviting her to take a seat. She immediately sat down. He then walked over to the opposite side taking his seat.

After Alfred lifted the covers off of the main dishes to reveal lobster tails and filet mignon, he turned to Bruce. "If that will be all sir, I will leave you two."

Bruce looked up at Alfred and directed a gentle, un-Bruce Wayne uncocky smile at him. "Thank you Alfred."

Lois' eyebrows rose in keen interest. If she hadn't been observing Bruce so closely trying to figure out what he was up to she would've have completely missed the interaction between him and his gentlemen's gentleman, Alfred. How interesting, Lois thought.

Alfred turned to Lois and bowed. "Miss Lane. It was a pleasure meeting you."

"It was a pleasure meeting you too Alfred and as I said earlier call me Lois."

Alfred tipped his head but did not correct himself. He exited the hotel room quietly closing the door behind him.

Lois looked across the small table at the man sitting opposite her. Reclining languorously in his chair, Bruce was looking at her from under hooded eyes, almost like he was bored. The cocky, playboy Bruce Wayne was back in full force.

As Bruce picked up his wine glass he asked in a lazy drawl, "So Lois, what brings you to Gotham?"

"The Batman."

The wine glass stopped midway to his mouth. "The Batman," he asked in a droll but somewhat skeptical tone.

"Don't look at me it wasn't my idea," she scoffed while taking a sip of her wine. "I think the more interesting and newsworthy story here is the increasing profit margin of your company since under the leadership of Lucius Fox but my new editor seems to get considerable enjoyment out of sending me all over the country on pointless assignments."

"Well I agree with you there. The Batman certainly is a pointless story. When it comes down to it this Batman is a just guy who has serious mental issues. The least of which is dressing up as a bat . . . Not much of a news breaking story there," he added with a smirk.

"Well there is that but basically I have nothing to go on with this Batman except that he prowls around Gotham beating criminals to a pulp and leaving them trussed up for the police. I can't even get a definitive description of the guy. Nobody can tell me his height, weight, eye color, whether he has crooked teeth, pigeon feet or is bowed legged. All any one can remember is either a dark horned figure lurking in the shadows or hearing a flap of a 'wing' before he strikes.

"I mean his superpower seems to be the fine art of stealth. He doesn't sound that much different than a Delta operative or a Ssss . . .," she started but then her voice trailed off as an intriguing thought entered her head. Former special forces or commando - that would certainly explain a lot, Lois thought with growing interest. She needed to cross reference former special forces, Deltas, SEALs, Rangers with Gotham's census bureau. Then she needed to . . .

From far away she heard someone calling her name and it was then she realized that her mind had wandered and she had left Bruce hanging.

"Sorry," Lois said flashing him an apologetic smile. "Just thought of something that I need to research," she muttered.

Lois took a bite of her lobster tail before she added, "Let me tell you, this Batman story . . . isn't that strange. Especially when compared to the things I've seen in Smallville. You want to talk about weird. It all started on the night I arrived in Smallville . . ."

Over the course of dinner, Lois regaled Bruce with her very strange first meeting with a naked amnesiac farmboy who as it turned out is now her good friend. She then went on and told him of some of the wild and weird happenings that occurred in her adopted hometown of Smallville.

Like her friend's barn door traveling clear across a whole county nearly braining her when she was out for a run or when this college football star who could paralyze someone with just a touch nearly sent her on a one way trip down the Mississippi River or how some ditzy cheerleaders created a love potion that turned all the jocks into hopelessly devoted love slaves or how she was possessed by a 16th century witch and dressed up as a dominatrix or how she nearly got permanent laryngitis when she ran into Barbie the Barbarian and Super-freaky Ken or when she had discovered a space ship that had a force field that kept knocking her unconscious every time she got near it.

This then segued into her telling him of some of the not so weird but definitely interesting things that had happened to her. Like when she had unearthed an Internet fight club but some how had found herself in a death match cage having to pretend to fight her friend Clark, the true blue Boy Scout, but he had pulled the chivalrous act and refused to hit her so they could escape or the time while she and her cousin were investigating a murder she had almost become some Russian guy's sex toy after being 'volunteered' by said cousin to be the new stripper act but in the process uncovered a sex slave trade operation or when she had discovered through an old childhood friend that Lex Luthor had been experimenting on soldiers wounded in action by injecting them with drugs tat turned them into supersoldiers and how this led to her personal mission to take down Lex Luthor.

Two hours and many stories later, Lois leaned back with a contented sigh after she had taken her last bite of Alfred's plum pudding. "Wow. That was as good as Mrs. Kent's apple pie and that's saying a lot."

When Bruce gazed at her from across the small table with a questioning look Lois clarified, "Mrs. Kent is my friend Clark, the Boy Scout I've been telling you about, she's his mother but she's also a friend. Actually, Mrs. Kent is Senator Kent from the fair state of Kansas," Lois added proudly.

"Oh yes, I remember now. She assumed her husband's state senate seat after he died on the night he was elected in a special election against Lex Luthor."

"Yeah," Lois said with a hint of sadness.

"And if I remember correctly," Bruce continued, "You were Jonathan Kent's campaign manager single-handedly getting him elected in a very tight race and for a brief time you had served as Martha Kent's Chief of Staff when she was state senator before moving on to work for the Inquisitor."

Lois' eyebrows lifted in astonishment. She was somewhat taken aback by how much he knew about her past careers but then she remembered he was Bruce Wayne who had every resource available to him so looking up the biography of one lowly reporter wouldn't be too hard for a man as powerful as him.

"Impressive. Maybe you should consider becoming an investigative reporter Mr. Wayne."

"No, I'll leave that to you," he said casually. "Besides, life's too short and there just too much fun to be had in this world."

"And you've certainly proven that," Lois said matter-of-factly. "Buying up hotels because your dates decided to use the pools as a place of frolic; burning down your family home after a drunken outburst at your 30th birthday party; buying the top two floors of a condo hi-rise in the heart of Gotham; racing around town in your Lamborghini. You certainly take it to a whole new level Mr. Wayne."

"When in Rome . . .," Bruce said with a dismissive shrug of his shoulders while slowly twirling the thin stem of the wineglass between his fingers watching the red wine turn to a deep ruby red in the flickering candlelight.

Lois' eyes narrowed slightly at his flippant response. When she had reminded him of his frivolous callous actions she could have sworn she had seen a flash of regret in his eyes but just as quickly it had appeared it had disappeared. His cool, arrogant façade was firmly in place and he had given her a typical Bruce Wayne, Prince of Gotham answer. It was almost as if she might have imagined it.

Before she was able to comment her cellphone buzzed. Recognizing the caller ID, she looked over at Bruce apologetically. "Sorry I have to take this . . . Hey Chlo, what's the matter," she asked anxiously. "Oh . . . Fine," she said with a disgruntled sigh. "Just tell Olsen not to use up all the hot water. Oh and keep him away from my peanut butter or he's going to find that camera becoming a permanent part of his ass. . . Okay, see you tomorrow."

She flipped her phone shut then looked across the table at Bruce. "That was my cousin Chloe. She and I share an apartment in Smallville while working together at the _Planet_," she explained as she reached for her wine glass. After taking a sip she continued, "Calling to warn me that her boyfriend was staying over and that I shouldn't go into attack mode if I happen to notice a male lurking around the place when I get home tomorrow."

Bruce only smiled in response looking at her from across the table.

Lois stared back at him with an expectant look waiting for him to say something. After a minute of his continued staring and gap of uncomfortable silence, Lois cleared her throat.

"Seeing as how I've got an early flight out I think we should call it a night," she said as she placed her napkin on the table and stood up. Bruce followed suit.

They walked in silence to the door. Upon opening the door Lois turned to him. "Well Mr. Wayne, I must say this was a very interesting evening. Please tell Alfred thank you for the delicious meal."

Bruce tipped his head in acknowledgement then he held out his hand. "Till we meet again Miss Lane."

"Maybe in your dreams," Lois retorted.

"You don't think we'll meet up again?"

Lois smiled at him with feigned regret. "With you being a Gothamite and me being from Metropolis and once my editor gets a look at my Batman story, or lack thereof, I don't think I'll be making a return trip any time soon."

"Never say never," he responded with a cocksure grin.

Lois quirked an eyebrow at him. "Good-bye Mr. Wayne."

"Good night Lois." Bruce then walked out the door and with one hand tucked in his pant's pocket he strolled down the hallway without looking back.

Shaking her head at his arrogant attitude, Lois closed the door and slipped the chain back into its groove. As she was walking back to the bed to resume working on her two articles her eyes fell on the dining table and in particular the yellow Dendrobrium orchids.

After a moment's pause, Lois walked over to the table and plucked a stem of the delicate yellow flowers from the vase. She lifted the flower up to her nose and slowly inhaled its exotic fragrance. A smile slowly appeared. "There is definitely more here than meets the eye. Isn't there Bruce?"

**_To be continued . . ._**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

_The Present . . . Daily Planet's Bullpen . . ._

The mid-morning sun streamed in through the _Daily Planet_'s stained glass basement windows casting a brilliant spotlight on the dancing dust motes that frolicked in the air of Metropolis' biggest newspaper's bullpen.

It was a typical morning in the _Planet_'s bullpen - the hustle and bustle of eager reporters, fresh-faced interns dashing in and out of the large but crowded area running errands, the buzzing of the copy machines, the whirring of printers, the ringing of the phones filling the air.

Lois, oblivious to the activity around her, sat at her desk reviewing a police report on the latest murder in Metropolis' Little Italy while she simultaneously flipped through her notepad to check the notes that she had taken at the crime scene. After a moment of looking over her notes and then at the police report, she grabbed two thin folders from the middle of a large stack of files sitting on her desk. She quickly perused their contents and after rereading a page in her notepad she leaned back in her chair.

Lois stared absently at the revolving _Daily Planet_ globe screensaver bouncing across her computer monitor as she sipped from a large white mug that had in large black letters 'W.A.G.A.R.A.' emblazoned on its side her third cup of coffee that morning while mulling over an idea that was rapidly taking shape in her head.

This was the third murder in two months. Not that a murder in the heart of a major metropolitan city was uncommon but after rereading the police reports from the previous two murders as well as her notes from all three crime scenes, she sensed a pattern developing. There was such brutality and rage behind each of the murders. The blood alone at each of the scenes was overwhelming. The crime scenes looked like horror movies gone amok. However the brutality did not stop with the blood, the victims were eviscerated, slashed, broken.

What Lois found interesting was that none of the victims had anything in common – a twenty something female drug addict, a homeless Vietnam Vet and the third and most recent one, an owner of a small mom and pop grocery store who had been closing up for the night when he got attacked. The victims and where their murders occurred, Suicide Slum, the financial district and Little Italy appeared almost too random.

Lois grabbed a plastic pen from her cup holder.

She was still pissed at herself that she had lost her monogrammed gold Cross pen. The pen meant a lot to her because it was a good-bye and good luck gift from Mrs. Kent when she had resigned as Martha's Chief of Staff to start her journalistic career at the _Inquisitor_.

Lois remembered having it when Grant had sent her to Gotham City to cover the Batman but after that she couldn't remember when she had last used it. She had even called the hotel and Wayne Enterprises to see if anyone had turned it in to the lost and found but had struck out.

She was just making a note in the margin of the police report when her computer squeaked or more like let out "bat chirp" alerting her to a news alert from the _Gotham Times _website. Lois punched a key on her keyboard, clicked the mouse a couple of times and began to read about the latest exploits of the Batman.

She had been right with what she had told Bruce that night at dinner. Upon her return to Metropolis, she had submitted her Batman story but Grant didn't print the article. It wasn't interesting or fascinating enough – _Can't run an article on just a shadow with horns Lane. Need pictures, firsthand accounts, a quote from the man himself_. Hence, her article met an early demise as did her article on Wayne Enterprises' much increasing profit margin.

However, even though her Batman story had been sent to the unpublished article graveyard, Lois' curiosity about the caped urban myth didn't follow in its wake. When she had been sent to Gotham, Batman was on the rise. He was new, the latest hot topic, cool even but Lois wondered once some time had passed if the Batman was really just a flash in the pan and would eventually fade away into irrelevancy; but that didn't seem to happen; in fact the opposite happened.

For awhile it had appeared from the news coming out of Gotham that the Batman was reaching superhero status. The sense she had walked away with when she left Gotham was that even though the people of Gotham were leery about the Batman, they unanimously agreed that change was occurring in the city, especially amongst the criminals and law enforcement.

The Batman was cleaning up the streets, forcing the criminals and in particular the many crime bosses and their followers to scatter to the darkest corners like roaches when a light is cast on them. But then a psychotic individual who called himself The Joker took Gotham hostage and challenged the Batman to unmask himself. The days of fear culminated in the Batman finally capturing the Joker but not without a destructive, deadly cost.

Gotham's bright and rising star of a D.A. and assistant D.A. were dead, a judge and the police commissioner dead, three crime bosses dead, a man named Brian Douglas trying to emulate the Batman dead, two innocent individuals who each unfortunately bore one of the name's of Gotham's D.A. dead, Gotham General Hospital leveled and the Batman . . . he was now on the run, an outcast. MCU's primary goal was to capture the Batman. He had crossed the line by killing not only another human being but a police officer. The Batman had never before taken a life in all his crimefighting and according to what Lois had heard on the street that was the Batman's one rule – he did not kill.

Unfortunately that rule was put to the test by the Joker and when pushed the Batman failed. So now he was hunted, shunned, scorned by the citizens of Gotham and yet, he still kept going after the lowlifes and criminals, still cleaning up the streets.

Lois shook her head in amazement as she finished reading about how the Batman had thwarted a gang of doped-upped thugs and had left them bound on the steps of the MCU and then able to disappear without being seen by any of Gotham's finest. "You're either a complete idiot or you truly believe in what you're doing," she said as she clicked the mouse and closed the window.

Lois was turning back to the police report when a cell phone that sat on the desk directly across from her started to ring. Her eyes settled on the empty chair to which the desk belonged to.

A few minutes before Clark had dashed out of the bullpen in a hurry saying that he needed to check the Department of Agriculture's corn reserve quarterly report. "You can take the boy off the farm but not the farm off the boy," she had muttered when she watched him run out the room like he was being chased by a pack of wild dogs.

The cell phone finally stopped ringing but then Clark's desk phone started up. After about eight rings the desk phone stopped but as soon as its last ring faded away, the cell phone started to ring again. Boy whoever was trying to reach Clark was really persistent. Who is so anxious to reach Smallville? Obviously the caller hadn't figured out that the reason why he wasn't answering was because he wasn't around, she thought derisively.

Lois blew out a frustrated sigh as the cell phone continued to ring. After another three rings, Lois jumped up and grabbed Clark's cell phone. However, she immediately stopped from answering it when she saw Lana's name flash on the caller ID.

Lois gently placed the phone back on the desk and returned to her chair. She picked up her pen and the police report but did not make any move to read it. She stared blindly at the words on the report.

Seeing Lana's name on Clark's cell phone sent her into a state of reflection on all that had occurred over the past year and in particular all that had occurred in her love life. Her disastrous fling with Grant and then his subsequent relocation to London dictated by Lex without even a good-bye, Oliver's return, departure and return again and then the topper, her forcibly having to face the fact and admit that she had feelings, deeper feelings for Clark when she had been hooked up to a lie detector while undercover to expose a psycho who kidnapped engaged couples to test their love and devotion to each other.

Lois had admitted a long time ago that the fling with Grant should never have had happened. First, business and pleasure never mix but carrying on an affair with one's boss was one of most bone-headed decisions she had ever made and that was saying a lot considering her long list of screw ups. Second, when she started her affair with Grant she was still smarting from her break-up with Oliver. Rebound relationships were never good nor were they long-lasting but still she had opened herself up emotionally to Grant and she had gotten burned.

Of course on the heels of her break-up with Grant, Oliver had come back into her life and upon seeing him again, she realized she hadn't gotten over him as she had thought but then she had discovered that he was the Green Arrow and that he served a much larger role in the world than just a wealthy businessman. As she had told Clark, she knew what her life would've have been like if she had restarted her relationship with Oliver. She would've seen Oliver only when the world didn't need him. Lois knew deep down that she could've made the sacrifice and lived that life. It's not like she hadn't done it before with her dad but something held her back.

She loved Oliver. There was no question as to that but was she in love with him. Was the love true? Absolute? Was the love she felt for him enough to make those necessary sacrifices? To share him with the world? To watch him go off and save the world while she stayed behind? Upon painful reflection and realization Lois knew the answer was no. Not for Oliver.

She came to this dawning realization when she saw Oliver, after having been poisoned, lying unconscious near death. Up to that point she had been courting the idea of getting back together with him and seeing if they could make it work but as much as it pained her to see him hurt, she didn't feel like her world would end and she was honest enough with herself to know that it wasn't just her tough, get over it and move on attitude kicking in but that although she loved him, he wasn't her one true love. Not that she was a mushy romantic but she realized she shouldn't have to settle either.

He wasn't her other half, her true love, her soulmate and that was why she said no to restarting a relationship with Oliver. Oliver deserved better and she deserved better.

Then if dealing with Grant and Oliver wasn't enough, she had to confront the reality of growing not just friends feelings for Clark. When she made this stunning realization, she had been connected to a lie detector and was forced to admit out loud her feelings for Clark, that feelings had been simmering underneath but had never acknowledged or at the very least she had chosen to ignore when the absurd idea would flash in her mind.

The admittance had thrown her for a loop. Actually, it had knocked her flat on her ass. This was Smallville, Clark Kent, the dorky nerdy farmboy Boy Scout that she teased endlessly. Yeah, he was tall, dark, handsome and had an endearing goofy smile and was verbally able to go ten rounds with her but it was still Smallville, that naked farmboy that she found wandering around in the middle of a cornfield.

They were coworkers. They worked side by side in the trenches. They fought more often than not but when they did have a meeting of the minds they were in sync. They fought for stories, they argued over the best way of getting a story, they harassed each other, they teased each other but in the end, she and Clark were friends, really close friends. In many ways closer than she was with Chloe because there were things she told Clark that she never felt she could tell Chloe, most especially her relationship failures.

She had still been trying to figure out all these tumultuous and confusing feelings she felt towards Clark and what to do with them when Lana reappeared in their lives. As soon as Lana returned, Lois had taken an immediate mental step back and summarily dismissed all possible romantic feelings that she might have been considering for Clark.

Maybe Clark and Lana weren't back together but Lois saw Lana's return as a sign from the powers that be that she and Clark weren't meant to be. The fact that Lana was back once again in Clark's life, despite all their ups and downs, their break-ups and reunions, said it all and there was no way to deny that any female who came into Clark's romantic life was always going to be second to Lana.

Lois still said a thank you every night that she hadn't let on or expressed to Clark what she was going on inside. What she might have been feeling towards. Fortunately she had been able to convince Clark that her so-called love confession was pure fabrication.

In retrospect Lois was grateful that Lana reappeared when she did. It nipped in the bud any romantic feelings from truly blossoming and causing undue heartache and humiliation. But it also waylaid the very real possibility destroying her friendship with Clark because judging from her past failed relationships with males, Lois certainly didn't want to see her relationship and in particular her friendship with Clark die an ugly death. Their friendship was the longest male relationship she has ever had with any guy and she didn't want to lose that. It was too precious to her.

So watching the possibility of romantic relationship with Clark end before it even began had made Lois come to the conclusion that real, true love just might not be in the cards for Lois Lane and she was okay with the fact that she may never find Mr. Right. It certainly beat settling for Mr. Right Now.

Giving a final chuckle at the pathetic love life of Lois Lane, Lois refocused her attention on the three police reports when all of a sudden her long-lost gold pen from Mrs. Kent appeared right in front of her nose.

Her eyes widened in disbelief. "Oh my God Clark, you're a lifesaver," she exclaimed as she turned towards Clark. "Where did you fi . . ." Her voice trailed off as she found herself staring not into the blue-green eyes of Clark but into the hazel eyes of a certain tall, dark, handsome, charming, playboy Gothamite. "Mr. Wayne."

Lois stared mouth agape at the visage of Bruce Wayne. Her mouth opened and closed but no sound came out. Lois had truly believed the only time she would lay eyes on Bruce Wayne again was in the society columns of Gotham's newspapers.

"Bruce," he said which he accompanied with a classic Bruce Wayne lazy smile.

Lois immediately snapped out of her stunned daze when she saw Bruce's I-can-charm-you into-doing-anything-like-calling-me-Bruce smile. "Mr. Wayne," she repeated with a defiant tone.

"Bruce," he insisted with a tiny grin, alerting her that he knew she was continuing to call him Mr. Wayne to get under his skin.

"Mr. Wayne," Lois said with finality but then smugly grinned at him letting HIM know that she wasn't the least bit impressed or charmed by his debonair captivating smile.

"Lois," he finally said.

Lois stood up never taking her gaze from his. She totally ignored the excited whispers and murmurings of her co-workers all of whom had instantly recognized the sharply dressed man standing next to Lois' desk holding out her favorite gold pen. Her attention was focused solely on Bruce Wayne.

"What are you doing here? In Metropolis," she asked while eyeing him suspiciously.

"Returning your pen," Bruce responded while giving Lois' pen a little wiggle.

Her eyes narrowed. "That was well over a year ago. You couldn't have just snail-mailed it?"

"I prefer the personal touch."

"Oh I bet you do," she said with smirk while crossing her arms over her chest.

Bruce only grinned in response.

"What are you really doing here, Mr. Wayne?"

"I told you, returning your pen."

"Uh-huh and I'm just a sweet, angelic, honey-tongued damsel in distress. Try again."

"I swear on Alfred's plum pudding, I'm returning your pen and since I've never been to Metropolis I want to see what this city has to offer, besides the angelic, honey-tongued damsel in distress."

Lois peered into his laughing hazel eyes trying to get a read on his true intentions but she couldn't get beyond the rouge playboy. After a beat of silence, Lois finally said, "Well, thank you for making the long trip to return my pen." She reached out to take it from Bruce but her head snapped up when he moved the pen out of reach.

"Ah-ah. You can get your pen back if you have dinner with me tonight." Bruce punctuated his invitation with another one of his charming, lazy smiles.

Slightly shaking her head in wry amusement, Lois stared pointedly at Bruce.

They continued to stare at each fully engaged in a battle of wills – Bruce not willing to forgo the pen and Lois not willing to accept his dinner invitation. However Lois was forced to look away when she heard someone clear their throat. Loudly.

Lois tore her gaze from Bruce's and saw Clark and Chloe staring at her and Bruce. Clark was slightly frowning while Chloe was staring agog and slightly star-struck at Bruce.

"Oh hi guys." Realizing that it would be rude not to introduce her cousin and friend to Bruce, she made the introductions. "Clark, Chloe this is Bruce Wayne of Gotham City." Lois turned to Bruce, "Bruce, this is Clark Kent and Chloe Sullivan."

Bruce gave them both with a polite nod of his head. "Clark Kent, Lois' good friend," he said as he reached out and shook Clark's hand. "Nice to finally meet you."

Clark only nodded his head as he returned Bruce's handshake.

Bruce then turned to Chloe and said with a charming smile, "And Chloe Sullivan, Lois' cousin. I've heard so much about both of you."

Chloe still had a star struck smile plastered on her face as she took Bruce's hand, "And we have heard absolutely nothing about you, Mr. Wayne."

"Please, call me Bruce."

"Bruce," Chloe repeated with a smile.

Bruce slid his gaze over at Lois and raised an eyebrow in question silently inquiring as to why she hadn't mentioned their knowing each other to her cousin or her friend.

Nonplussed by his pointed silent inquiry, Lois shrugged her shoulders. "Goes to show you how much of an impression you made."

Bruce once again grinned at Lois' smart ass response before he said, "So Lois about dinner tonight."

Lois stared at him for a long moment then let out a heavy sigh when she realized that he wasn't going to give. Damn him, she thought. He always seemed to maneuver her between a rock and a hard place. "Fine but you should know I'm only agreeing to dinner because I want my pen back."

"Understood," he said quietly. "How about --"

"Eight o'clock. _Sophie's_. I'll meet you there," she quickly fired off before he could finish his sentence.

Bruce raised an eyebrow but once again Lois smirked at him. "Hey, I need to level the playing field."

Bruce slightly nodded and with a cocky smile he bowed slightly at the waist. "Fine. _Sophie's_ at eight o'clock, I'll meet you there. Until tonight Lois."

"I wait with bated breath," she said with saccharine sweetness.

Bruce turned to Clark and Chloe who were both darting glances back and forth between Lois and Bruce, taken in by the by-play between the two. "Clark. Chloe. A pleasure."

With that, Bruce, hands tucked in his pants pockets strolled casually out of the bullpen. The _Daily Planet_ workers who had crowded in the hallway to try and catch a glimpse of the famous Bruce Wayne parted like the Red Sea clearing a path for the famous playboy's exit.

Lois stared at the departing back of Bruce. She tapped the plastic pen against the palm of her hand in a quick staccato beat as she watched him stroll leisurely out of the bullpen. Her eyes narrowed as she watched him board the elevator. "What the hell are you up to Bruce?"

_**To be continued . . .**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

For a long moment Lois stood in the middle of the bullpen staring at the now closed elevator doors, still tapping the pen against the palm of her hand. Bruce's casual but slightly smug smile still lingered as she mulled over the enigma of Bruce Wayne.

At one point she would've said with absolute confidence that he made the long trip to Metropolis just to return her pen. At one point she would've pegged him as being exactly what he appeared to be – a spoiled, rich, shallow, womanizing playboy. Actually she would've sworn on her pint of double chocolate and peanut butter ice cream that Bruce Wayne did not have layers like Oliver or Clark. That there wasn't anything underneath. That he was all flash, no substance. The public Bruce Wayne was also the private Bruce Wayne but after the dinner and wine they shared in her hotel room that night in Gotham she questioned her initial assessment of him.

Over the course of that night, there were times when she thought she had seen something more. That actual layers to Bruce Wayne might have existed. That the arrogant jack-ass just might have been a mask. However those rare times were as fleeting as smoke because just as quickly she had seen something more it just as quickly had disappeared back behind the cool, casual playboy persona.

Later that evening after Bruce had left and after having submersed herself in reading more about Bruce Wayne and his frivolous exploits, she had pretty much dismissed what she thought she had seen, a private Bruce Wayne who was the complete opposite of the public Bruce Wayne, to dim lighting, candlelight and wine.

However, her reporter senses had started tingling once again when she had learned that Bruce, upon his return from his seven year disappearance, had bought up the controlling shares of Wayne Enterprises when the company had gone public to keep the company's future secure and under Wayne control. This last tidbit had been given to her by an inside source who had been sitting in on the board meeting where Bill Earle, as she had learned in her research had been the mastermind behind the company's shift to heavy arms manufacturing, had been informed by Bruce Wayne that he was no longer in charge.

She had gotten the call from her nervous Nelly source just as she had been boarding her plane that following morning. For the rest of her flight back home, she had time to ponder the question of who was the real Bruce Wayne.

Why would the shallow, spoiled rich kid care whether his company's future was secure or whether it went public? There would have been no doubt that with the company going public, the money he would have received for his shares would've kept the Wayne coffers full for generations to come even with him buying up hotels and Lamborghinis. Who knew that he even had the business sense or whereforeall to know about majority shares and public stock offerings? Why did she think she had seen a twinge of regret when she recounted his callous actions to him? They were interesting questions but she had been unable to come up with any definitive answers except that he was an enigma.

Of course on the heels of this revelation, the ever changing, perplexing picture of Bruce Wayne had shifted once again thanks to his exploits during the Joker's battle with the Batman. While she had been keeping herself apprised of the Batman over the past year and most especially during the Joker's days of terror, she could not help but come across articles about Bruce Wayne about town. Like taking a two week cruise in the South Seas with the Russian ballet company or disappearing into a panic room leaving his guests to fend for themselves when the Joker had crashed a fundraiser being held at his penthouse by him no less or him joyriding in his Lamborghini when Gotham had been deep in the throes of being held hostage by the Joker.

And now he showed up in Metropolis, over a year later claiming only to be in Metropolis to return her pen. She knew it wasn't to return her pen.

Despite what she thought of him, despite his impulsive, callous ways, there was no way he would travel all the way to Metropolis, a year later, to return a pen. There was no way a man like Bruce would come all this way just to see her. Her gut instincts were telling her that his explanation was about as fake as her uncle's hairpiece and she never doubted her instincts. Her reporter senses were telling her there was a story here. There had to be another reason why he was in Metropolis and she was going to find out what it was and it all began with dinner at _Sophie's_.

It was then as she started formulating her plan of attack when she slowly became aware of the many pairs of eyes staring at her and in particular two pairs that belonged to her friend and cousin. She slid them a sideways glance and noted that they both were looking at her with looks of puzzlement. "What?"

Chloe huffed at Lois' casual response. "Lois, do you know who that was," Chloe asked, her voice laced with clear bewilderment.

Lois furrowed her brow in confusion and irritation, "Umm, yeah."

"Lois, why haven't you ever mentioned that you know Bruce Wayne?"

Lois shrugged her shoulders. "Because I didn't think it was worth mentioning, Chlo," Lois responded, utterly confused as to why Chloe was making such a whoop-de-do over her knowing Bruce Wayne. "So we met and had dinner. No big deal."

"You had dinner and you think it's no big deal," Chloe exclaimed in exasperation.

"Oh my God Chloe, he's just a man who, okay I admit, may have a lot of money but he's not God. He puts his pants on one leg at a time just like everybody else."

"And how would you know that Lois," Clark asked, speaking his first complete sentence since arriving in the bullpen and finding Lois and Bruce locked in battle of wills.

Lois threw Clark a withering look but then she shook her head as she looked at him with feigned pity over his sad attempt at being something other than the Boy Scout. "Smallville, stop while you're ahead. No matter how hard you try. No matter what you wear. No matter what gutter your mind goes to, you're still going to be the all-American Boy Scout. Nothing is ever going to change that. Don't fight it, just accept it."

Clark rolled his eyes while shaking his head in exasperation at Lois' ceaseless teasing of him being the Boy Scout. Of course it wouldn't be a normal day without her at least once poking fun at his innocent, all-American, farmboy ways.

Lois turned and picked up a folder from her desk. She then turned back to Clark and Chloe. "As much as I'd love to stand here and chit chat about the wondrous Bruce Wayne," she said as her voice dripped with sarcasm. She then looked over at Chloe, "I have to go track down your fiancé and kill him. See you guys later."

Lois patted Clark's arm as she walked by him but not without adding, "By the way Smallville, Lana was trying to reach you. You might want to inform her that if you don't answer after the third ring, you're not around to answer." With that, Lois walked out of the bullpen, completely ignoring the stares of her co-workers who were still milling about hoping to catch more gossip on Lois Lane and Bruce Wayne.

Chloe and Clark watched Lois walk briskly down the hallway and out of sight.

Chloe was still staring at the spot where Lois had last been seen when she let out a snort. "I can't believe Lois. I can't believe she didn't say anything about knowing Bruce Wayne."

Frowning slightly, Clark slid Chloe a sideways glance, confused as to why she seemed to have been so shocked at Lois keeping quiet about meeting Bruce Wayne. He remembered Lois grumbling and complaining when Grant had sent her off to Gotham to cover the story of a vigilante dressing himself up as a bat because she had considered it to be a waste of time. But, she had told him that while she was there she was going to look into Wayne Enterprises because she had uncovered something very interesting about the company's profits when she had been doing her research for the vigilante story. So for him it didn't come as any surprise that Lois might have run into Bruce Wayne seeing as it was his company and knowing Lois, she probably had camped herself on his front door step or at least snuck in through a window to get her big scoop on Wayne Enterprises.

"So," he asked as he walked over to his desk.

Chloe spun around to stare at him. "So? Clark, do you have any idea who Bruce Wayne is?"

Clark had been looking at the number of messages on his cell phone screen when he looked up at Chloe. "A successful businessman."

"A successful businessman? Clark, you work at the _Daily Planet_ and your response is a successful businessman."

He nodded his head slightly as he looked at Chloe expectantly waiting for more details.

"Clark, Bruce Wayne is one of the wealthiest, most powerful men in the world. Lex and Oliver are paupers compared to him and the very fact that he came to Metropolis to return a pen to my cousin . . .," her voice trailed off as an excited and curious smile appeared.

Clark's eyebrows had lifted in curiosity as he heard Chloe describe who or what Bruce Wayne was. "You think this means something?"

"Clark, it speaks volumes."

"But Chloe, Lois has sworn off billionaires. Do you really think she'd get involved with Bruce Wayne after Oliver?"

"I don't know but I do know that more than just small talk was exchanged at this supposed innocent, nothing happened dinner. I mean there were more fireworks going off between those two than a night on the Fourth of July. And, they weren't even talking. I'm sorry but I have to go track down Lois and find out exactly what happened between her and Bruce last year. A man of that wealth and stature doesn't just travel to Metropolis to return a reporter's pen," she stated matter of factly.

"I'll catch you later," Chloe threw over her shoulder as she dashed out of the bullpen leaving Clark standing in the middle of the bullpen wondering what exactly was going on.

~*~

Bruce watched the red glowing numbers on the elevator panel slowly rise as he made his ascent from the basement to the main floor of the _Daily Planet_ building. Once he had boarded the elevator and was out of sight from the prying, curious eyes of the employees of the newspaper as well as from the curious, searching eyes of one Lois Lane, he had dropped the public Bruce Wayne façade. It completely disappeared only to be replaced by hardened, taut features and distant, cold eyes.

Bruce stared unseeingly at the high polished granite elevator floor. It was so hard these days for him to assume the untroubled playboy persona. It wasn't him. When he had to don the mask of Bruce Wayne, Prince of Gotham, he often felt he was forfeiting a little piece of his real self, of the real Bruce because with each callous, shallow action he took as Bruce Wayne, Prince of Gotham, Bruce Wayne, son of Thomas and Martha Wayne was slowly being chipped away at until nothing of that normal life he could have, of that normal Bruce Wayne he could be, existed any longer.

But, as much as he didn't want to be the Prince of Gotham he knew he had to maintain the ruse, especially with capturing Batman being the primary goal of MCU and the underworld becoming emboldened once again with the Batman on the run. He knew that in order for him to continue being the Batman and adhering to his original goal of creating a Gotham where the citizens didn't have to live in fear of the criminals, the mob, the underworld, the public Bruce Wayne had to remain front and center in the public eye.

As much as he preferred spending his time tracking down the still escaped prisoners of Arkham and in particular the elusive Carmine Falcone than clinking crystal with Gotham's vacuous trust funders and inane starlets, each evening he wined, dined, womanized, played. However, once he sent his entertainment or entertainments of the night on their way he would then spend the rest of the night and into the morning capturing, studying, monitoring, tracking his prey.

Bruce knew that Alfred was growing more concerned about him and his constant need and desire to be in the Batman mode. There was no question that he had been focused and determined in carrying out his mission of ripping Gotham from the hands of the underworld prior to the Joker's reign of terror but ever since Rachel's death, Harvey's demise, the Batman's transformation from accepted to hunted, he had been spending more and more time in the cape and cowl than out of it and spending more and more time at the underground warehouse or the Bat Lair as Alfred had liked to refer to it than above ground living and existing in the city that he was trying to save. Admittedly he just felt more at ease, more comfortable when he was carrying out his mission as Batman than trying to live in the world as Bruce.

Although he had to admit that the one night that he didn't feel as anxious or as hurried to don the guise of Batman was when he had dinner with Lois Lane, the smart-ass but beautiful, spunky reporter from Metropolis' _Daily Planet_.

Their first meeting in Lucius' office was definitely memorable. He remembered upon first looking into her hazel eyes, he could tell immediately that this woman before him, Lois Lane, was tough, intelligent, bold and didn't take crap from anyone and when she had spoken her first words to him, she certainly didn't disappoint.

To say that she had made an indelible impression would have been an understatement. She called him the Prince of Gotham to his face before he had even been able to say a word. For some reason her unspoken challenge had awakened the smart-ass devil in him that rarely came out and only had been seen by Alfred. They exchanged a round of verbal sparring in which she firmly put him in his place and then she summarily dismissed him. It was so unlike the reaction he usually received from women.

Even her handshake was unlike other females - straightforward, strong, firm. So much was said by her handshake. So much was conveyed as to who she was. Lois Lane was not a wilting female. She rose to the challenge and then some.

Then he had watched her board the elevator and he knew that she had realized that she had left him wondering. He had watched her smirk at him and then silently declare that she had won the first round of Lois Lane versus the mighty Bruce Wayne.

Of course his interest had been piqued. There was no question as to her physical attractiveness – her womanly curves sheathed in a form fitting navy blue suit and red silk blouse, her long legs accentuated by a pencil skirt and a pair of navy blue heels, her long flowing dark brown hair draped over one shoulder.

She was sexy but it was a raw sensuality. She was beautiful but it wasn't the beauty of a china doll, delicate and frail but it was an earthy, powerful beauty. Being constantly surrounded by females who spent thousands to capture that type of beauty and sexiness and spent hours to act that way, he knew that Lois' sensuality and beauty weren't practiced but just was. It was natural and that's what had made her that much more captivating.

However it was her personality, her spirit, her mind that had intrigued him. It was this curiosity to know what made Lois Lane tick that had prompted his asking Alfred to cook dinner and his plum pudding and bring it over to Lois' hotel room. This request obviously had elicited a raised eyebrow of inquiry from Alfred but his butler had opted to stay silent and not pry. Dinner at Lois' hotel room also had provided the added benefit of him having a quiet night in so to speak where he wasn't out in the glare of public eye that watched and detailed his every move and where didn't have to have mindless conversations or flirt or act drunk.

As soon as Lois had opened the door and had responded to his "gift", he knew that Lois Lane was definitely unique, unlike any female he had ever known, Rachel included. He knew that Lois was a force to be reckoned with. He had seen her grudging reluctance to accepting his dinner because beneath that tough, smart-ass but sexy exterior there was a thoughtful, kind person and then he took one look at what she was wearing.

Even though she was in the company of Bruce Wayne, billionaire extraordinaire, she didn't immediately dash into the bathroom to change her clothing or primp. No, she had sat down at the table, face freshly scrubbed sans any make-up, wearing her blue cotton PJs, pink bunny slippers and her hair pulled up in a haphazard ponytail with a forgotten pencil still sticking out from where the tail met the crown of her head.

Over the course of the dinner he had come to learn a lot about Lois through her stories about her cousin Chloe, her friend Clark, her weird experiences in Smallville and her adventures of being a reporter first for the _Metropolis Inquisitor _and now at the _Daily Planet_. He had let Lois do most of the talking of which she seemed to have no problem. Her stories had appeared to be endless and it was through them he had discovered that along with her intelligence and spunk, she was blunt, independent, truthful, loyal and honest. She didn't hold anything back and that included her investigating him.

Upon his and Alfred's entry into her room he had noticed that she had made no move to put away her notes and research. She had left them out in the open for him to see. As he had passed by the bed he had been able to make out a few words on the scattered sheets of paper like 'Batman', 'Thomas Wayne', 'Missing Heir' and then through their conversation she had proven how much research she had done of him by clearly reciting some of the Prince of Gotham's more memorable escapades.

He had to admit that there were many times that night he had to remind himself that he had to be the public Bruce Wayne. Force himself to sustain the mask of the Prince of Gotham. Her ease at being around him, to be herself, to not feel that she had to impress him had relaxed him so much so that at one point, when she had recounted his foolish exploits he knew he had let the mask slip and she had seen his regret of having to forfeit so much of the real Bruce Wayne in order to be the Batman but he had quickly recovered and knew he had left her wondering if what she had seen was just her imagination.

He knew there were many times she had stared at him, gazed into his eyes trying to see beyond the mask, trying to see if there was a different Bruce Wayne, if there was a real Bruce Wayne but it was those times when the mask was firmly in place. It was those times when he shut out the world.

However, as much as he was intrigued by Lois and as much as he had enjoyed her company he had believed as she had that they were never going to meet again. He had played his role but when he had left her hotel room he honestly had thought that was going to be the last time he laid eyes on Lois Lane.

For a month after Lois' departure he had perused the _Daily Planet_ to see if either of her articles would appear in print but just as Lois had predicted, her editor apparently didn't find either story worthy to publish. After that he had relegated Lois and their dinner out of his mind, focusing on the Mob, focusing on the Joker, focusing on not getting caught, focusing on his mission.

Then about two months ago Wayne Enterprises had received an offer from LuthorCorp of a possible joint venture in a defense project. As soon as he had seen the name in Lucius' report, he had instantly recalled Lois' vow of taking down Lex Luthor because of his experimentation on wounded soldiers by trying to turn them into emotionless fighting machines. However things had changed at LuthorCorp. Lex Luthor was no longer head of the company, Tess Mercer was and all because of Lex Luthor's demise in the Arctic.

He immediately started looking into LuthorCorp curious as to why that company wanted to form a joint venture. In the past he had heard rumblings, rumors of how LuthorCorp sometimes stretched the boundaries but never crossed over but he wondered if that was still the case with a new CEO at the helm so he had asked Lucius to send one of Wayne Enterprises top forensic accountants guised as a regular bookkeeper to have a look at LuthorCorp's numbers. On the surface things had appeared clean but his accountant had seen some irregularities, in particular large fluxes of cash diverted to supposed R&D facilities that studied ethanol, carbon dioxide, hydrogen alternatives.

These findings had raised some flags for him but he had opted not to cut off the talks just yet. He had wanted to see exactly what LuthorCorp and in particular Tess Mercer wanted with Wayne Enterprises.

At the same time as the offer of a joint venture with LuthorCorp had appeared, a new drug had appeared on the streets of Gotham. Batman had encountered and taken down a group of thieves that had been responsible for a string of jewelry store burglaries. However he had found when he had confronted these thieves that they weren't just ordinary thieves. They were really strong, superhuman almost. He would throw a punch or a kick that would have taken out any normal human but these guys popped right back up.

After finally taking them down and turning them over to the police, he had learned through back channels from the new Commissioner that these thieves had been high on a drug that Narcotics had never seen before. Upon hearing this disturbing news that a new drug was circulating on the streets of Gotham, he had dug deeper and had been able to obtain a sample of the new drug. Lucius had run a chemical analysis of the drug compound and they had found that what the Commissioner had said was true – it was unlike any illegal drug out there. It was like being shot with a 100 cc's of raw adrenaline which explained why the thugs he had encountered appeared to be superstrong. It was only after his latest encounter with a gang of jack-upped thugs who were one of the many drug suppliers did he discover that this new drug was being funneled in from Metropolis.

It was upon pure coincidence when he had been trying to come up with a cover story for the Batman's trip to Metropolis that he had found Lois' gold pen. He had just happened to have been visiting Lucius, providing him with his requirements for the new Tumbler, when the late afternoon setting sun had streamed in through the wall to ceiling windows and glinted off of the gilt pen sticking out from underneath the couch in Lucius' office. He had walked over to the couch, extracted the pen and immediately saw the initials _L.J.L. _engraved onto the shaft of the pen.

He knew immediately that the pen belonged to Lois and that she lost it when she had collided with him that long ago day. He was sure Lois would be missing this pen judging from the teeth marks and signs of use. Plus, it was obvious that it would have sentimental value.

As he had stood there in Lucius' office an idea had formed in his head. Not only had he just found a logical excuse for Bruce Wayne to travel to Metropolis but it had also provided him with the opportunity to see Lois again. He had wondered if her appeal would be as strong and as captivating as when they had first met or if it was just a fleeting attraction.

He had soon discovered that Lois was just as appealing, just as attractive and just as smart-ass as that first time. After overcoming her initial shock of seeing him, Lois had reverted to her smart-ass, take-no-prisoners self, quickly calling him Mr. Wayne. Her eyes had lit up with delight and satisfaction relishing the opportunity to continue their battle of wills. He had to admit it was pure fun to try to get Lois to call him Bruce instead of Mr. Wayne and it was even more fun to get her to accept another invitation to dinner.

As the elevator dinged alerting its arrival at the main lobby, Bruce slipped the public mask back on and when the steel doors slowly slid open Bruce Wayne, the Prince of Gotham was present and accounted for. He walked off the elevator strolling unhurriedly through the main lobby, his black Armani wingtips echoing off of the high polished black and grey granite floor, completely ignoring the people who stopped and stared at the passing figure of Bruce Wayne. His gait was unhurried, allowing enough time for one particular person to make their way to the lobby to catch him before he left the building.

Just as he was approaching the brushed brass revolving glass doors he heard the sound of approaching high heels walking briskly but determinedly up behind him.

"Mr. Wayne," a female voice called out to him.

Bruce stopped. Right on cue, he thought as a smug satisfied smile briefly teased his lips but the smile was gone when he turned around to face the female behind the voice.

"Yes," he inquired casually to the tall, red-haired, green eyed female CEO of LuthorCorp.

"Mr. Wayne I am so sorry. If I had known you were coming to visit I would've been here to greet you or at the very least had a limo pick you up at the airport."

Bruce shrugged his shoulders in casual dismissal. "It's no problem. I didn't know I was coming to Metropolis until the plane was in the air."

"Well, since you're here, I would love to invite you to LuthorCorp and give you a personal tour of the company."

Bruce knitted his brow. "I'm sorry, but who are you?"

"Tess Mercer, CEO of LuthorCorp and all its subsidiaries including the _Daily Planet_," she responded with a bright but slightly strained smile. "Actually, I'm the one that proposed the joint venture between LuthorCorp and Wayne Enterprises."

"Oh."

Tess cleared her throat when Bruce had only provided her with a monosyllabic answer but then she continued, "In fact, your representatives were quite impressed with the proposal and were very satisfied with their review of LuthorCorp's financials."

"Really? Representatives of Wayne Enterprises were here in Metropolis? I didn't know that."

Tess flashed him another strained smile when all she got another round of non-responsive, uninterested answers. Knowing all about his famed reputation, Tess had opted to take a different tack. "Mr. Wayne, why don't we have dinner tonight so we can discuss the joining of our two companies?"

"Sorry, Miss . . . uhh?" He looked at her expectantly, asking her to remind him of her name.

"Mercer," she finished tightly.

"Right. I don't do business dinners. I leave that up to . . . Well the guys who actually care."

Tess took a step closer as her voice dropped an octave. "It doesn't have to be all business."

Bruce flashed Tess a regretful smile, "Sorry, but already have plans."

"Maybe tomorrow," she suggested lightly trying to not to show that she was simmering with anger at being given the brush off.

Bruce shook his head. "Nope. Leaving tomorrow. Maybe next time," he suggested casually. Bruce then turned and exited the building without a backwards glance leaving Tess standing in the middle of the lobby.

Just then Tess' blonde female assistant came to a skidding halt beside her.

"Why was I not informed sooner that Bruce Wayne was here," Tess asked as she watched Bruce Wayne climb into a black Rolls Royce that had just pulled up to the curb. She was still smarting from Bruce Wayne's quick dismissal of her.

"Sorry Miss Mercer," her assistant answered meekly.

"Where did he go?"

Her assistant swallowed before she answered. "Apparently Mr. Wayne headed directly for the basement and had spoken only to Lois Lane. From what I understand they know each other from before and he was returning her pen. Apparently they are having dinner tonight."

As the Rolls Royce drove away, Tess turned to her assistant. "Really? Lois Lane? I want you to --"

"Knowing you were going to ask, I've already gone through the files and have pulled the articles Miss Lane had written after she returned to Gotham." Her assistant held out a thin file.

Tess took the file and perused its contents. A slow smile appeared as she scanned the articles. "There just might be use for you yet Miss Lane."

_**To be continued . . .**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

By the time Bruce had pulled the rear passenger door of the Rolls closed, the carefree, devil-may-care Bruce was nowhere to be seen. Out of sight from the public eye, the somber, impassive Bruce was the only one present and accounted for.

As Alfred pulled away from the curb and merged the vehicle into the always busy Metropolis traffic, he handed two thin folders over the seat to Bruce. "Here is the information you had requested, sir. The second folder contains a new set of modified schematics and specifications. Mr. Fox requests your comments."

Bruce leaned forward taking the proffered files. "Thank you Alfred." He then settled back into the plush tan leather of the backseat and began to review the contents of the top file.

_Orphaned at the age of ten only to be raised by her maternal aunt. Graduated top of her high school class. Went to college on an academic scholarship. Majored in marine biology. After going out on an expedition in the South Seas, the research boat had been found stranded but all its passengers had disappeared._ It wasn't until two years later when she had resurfaced and appeared to have been taken under the wing of Lex Luthor. After that the biography of Tess Mercer was sparse.

Nothing prior to her disappearance stood out to Bruce. Nothing in the biography of Tess Mercer explained why Lex Luthor had taken an interest in her and named her executor and successor CEO of LuthorCorp and all its subsidiaries. Nothing in the words before him shed any light as to why she was so adamant in forming a joint venture between his company and LuthorCorp.

He flipped the folder on Tess Mercer shut in annoyance. He had been hoping with the combination of Tess Mercer's biography and meeting her in person he would be able to figure out what she really wanted with Wayne Enterprises but he was no closer than he was before his trip to Metropolis. He had to keep a closer watch on Tess Mercer and LuthorCorp.

Warning bells had been blaring ever since Ms. Mercer's offer came across Lucius' desk. He knew that this was not an innocuous offer by LuthorCorp especially after the review of the books by Wayne Enterprises' forensic accountant, the behind the scenes rumblings of questionable practices of LuthorCorp and Lois' story of how her childhood Army friend and fellow wounded soldiers were used as guinea pigs in an experiment to create supersoldiers. However what exactly Ms. Mercer had planned was still unclear. The one thing that prevented Bruce from immediately terminating this deal was the possibility of exposing all of LuthorCorp's shady projects and dealings.

He was able glean one thing from his meeting with Tess Mercer and that was she was a smart, independent, strong woman. Not too dissimilar to describing Lois, Bruce thought. However while both females were independent, tenacious, strong-willed females, with Lois she had humor, warmth and humility. Although that last characteristic was something that he ventured to guess Lois tried to keep under wraps. Tess, on the other hand, was cold, cunning, calculating. One was intriguing, unique, a challenge while the other was boring, ordinary, predictable. Some men enjoyed predictability and stability; he always enjoyed a good challenge.

Dismissing Tess Mercer and LuthorCorp from his mind, Bruce opened the second folder that Alfred had handed him. He barely got through the first line of specifications when Alfred asked, "Will Miss Lane be joining you for dinner this evening Master Wayne?"

Bruce looked up from the papers. He gazed unseeingly at the back of the driver's seat remembering how Lois dictated as to the where and when of their dinner date. Wanting to level the playing field as she called it. Lois Lane was definitely not a timid female nor was she intimidated by his wealth, power or stature. A wisp of a smile appeared before he said, "No Alfred, I'll be joining Miss Lane at _Sophie's_. Please make the arrangements."

Alfred peered at Bruce through the rearview mirror. "Yes sir."

As he listened to Alfred make the dinner arrangements with _Sophie's_, Bruce went back to the schematics that Lucius had wanted him to review and comment on. Needing to make a notation on one of the specs, Bruce reached into his suit jacket and extracted a pen. However he stopped when the afternoon sun glinted off of the gold metal of Lois' pen.

Bruce didn't feel the least bit guilty at getting Lois to agree to a dinner date for her to retrieve her pen. It was all part of their little battle of wills and right now he would say they were about even.

Bruce rolled the pen between his fingers, watching the gilt metal glow in the afternoon yellow sun. After another few twirls of the pen, he eventually added, "Alfred, we need to make a stop before we head back to the hotel and I need to ask a favor of you."

"Very good sir," Alfred said with a ghost of smile as he watched his employer unconsciously smile while gazing at a gold pen.

_**Meanwhile, back at the Planet . . .**_

After Chloe had dashed out of the bullpen to track down Lois, Clark had sat himself down at the computer to do further research into Bruce Wayne of Gotham City. He was curious over why the _Planet_ was buzzing at his appearance in Metropolis, why Chloe was gushing like a fangirl and why she thought more had happened between Lois and Bruce when Lois had been in Gotham.

Clark was not liking the picture that was developing. Unlike Oliver and even Lex for that matter, Bruce Wayne was not even attempting to give the appearance of being a humanitarian or a good guy. From what he had read so far about the infamous Bruce Wayne, the guy was a womanizing, drunken, spoiled billionaire. Nothing more. He had even gone so far as burning down his family home when he got drunk at his 30th birthday party.

Also from what Clark had read, Bruce didn't have anything to do with his family's company, Wayne Enterprises. Once again, unlike Oliver or Lex, Bruce didn't even try to give the appearance that he helmed his family's company. Apparently that job fell on the shoulders of Lucius Fox. Sure rumor had it Bruce Wayne would show up at board meetings but he would immediately fall asleep still recovering from his previous night's activities.

It also appeared that Bruce had little regard for the city in which he lived. Clark had just finished an article of how he had gone joyriding and crashed his Lamborghini into a cop car during a tense time in Gotham. From what the article had said, Mr. Wayne had even asked the Police Commissioner, into whose car he had crashed, if he should be taken to the hospital. Totally oblivious to the fact that at that moment a psychotic individual called the Joker had threatened to blow up a Gotham hospital if a man named Coleman Reese wasn't killed by a citizen of Gotham.

Clark shook his head in disgust as he finished the article. He wasn't seeing the appeal of Bruce Wayne other than his money and power and he certainly didn't believe as Chloe believed that something more had transpired between Lois and Bruce when she had been in Gotham last year covering the vigilante who called himself the Batman.

Granted Lois did have a weakness for bad boys by her own admission but the guys she fell for at least had appeared to be decent men but Bruce Wayne did not try to hide his self-indulgent ways. He was a man who was only out for his own narcissistic pleasures. A man like Bruce was a common target of Lois' ridicule, criticism and pointed jabs.

Chloe was wrong. There was no way Lois would fall for Bruce Wayne. Sure there had seemed to be some underlying attraction between the two but anything more was just Chloe's imagination. The only reason Lois was agreeing to have dinner with Bruce tonight was to get her pen back.

Removing a pen that he had stuck behind his hear, Clark opened up another article on Bruce Wayne and his womanizing, partying ways while jotting down a note on a post-it. It was then when he heard a soft voice greet him.

"Hi Clark."

Clark looked up from his computer screen and found himself looking into the eyes of his former girlfriend Lana Lang. "Hey Lana. What are you doing here," he asked with a frown. "We were supposed to meet?"

As he looked at Lana, Clark still couldn't get over how much she had changed since her awakening from the coma induced by Brainiac and then subsequent departure from Smallville and his life. Gone was her long hair. Gone was the rosy cheeked innocent beauty. Gone was the girl next door.

He was still getting used to this new Lana and his new relationship with Lana.

When Lana had returned she admitted that when she woke from her Brainiac-induced coma and recorded the break-up DVD, she was running away from them, from the unknown of loving and sharing a life with an alien and all the uncertainty and dangers that came with it but she had realized she made a mistake wanted to give them a real chance, no more running away when things got difficult.

He was still hurting from the way she had left him and he had told her that he wasn't anxious to jump right back into Clark and Lana and then repeat their ongoing cycle of getting together then breaking up, getting together then breaking up. However, he did admit to himself that he could not help but wonder if their relationship would've worked if Brainiac hadn't been a factor.

There was no question that there was a long, deep history between them and there was no question that he had spent the better part of his life wanting to be with Lana, loving Lana and sacrificing so much to have Lana in his life. With this question of what could have been still unanswered, he could not help but consider the possibility of giving him and Lana another try now that Brainiac was defeated. Thus, he and Lana had decided to take things slow this time. Start out as friends then see where that would lead to – reuniting romantically or just remaining friends.

"No. I wanted to ask you question and tried reaching you on your phone."

"Yeah, I know," Clark said as he glanced at the his cell phone and the desk phone's screen which still read three missed calls, three new voicemails. "I had to take care of something," he explained as he stood up.

"Oh," she said softly when Clark didn't expound on the details of that something. She glanced away and saw the article and accompanying picture of Bruce Wayne on Clark's computer monitor. "Wow, it seems everywhere I turn I'm hearing and seeing about Bruce Wayne in Metropolis. It's all over the radio about his sudden appearance and people are wondering why he's here."

Clark glanced at the screen then turned back to Lana. "Actually he was here to see Lois."

"Really," Lana asked. Surprise was clearly evident in her voice.

Clark stole another glance at the computer monitor, absently tapping the pen he was holding in his hand against his thigh. "Apparently Lois and he had met when she got temporarily assigned to Gotham last year and he was returning something of hers."

"Really," she repeated.

Clark frowned slightly at Lana's response. "What?"

Lana shrugged. "It's just something I never expected. To hear Bruce Wayne and Lois Lane mentioned in the same sentence. I mean, she is not his type. She's too . . .," she paused, searching for the right word but then continued, "common for Bruce Wayne and he would never be serious about her."

Lana quickly held up her hand and went on to further explain when she saw that Clark was about to say something in defense of Lois. "Don't get me wrong Clark. It's just Bruce Wayne socializes with starlets, models, heiresses not reporters. He's probably just wants to add Lois to his list of conquests. But enough about Lois."

Lana looked up at Clark with a bright smile. "The reason why I was so insistent in trying to reach you was that I had an idea. We should have a night out on the town. It's something we've never done before and since we agreed to start with a clean slate I thought this would be a great idea. You know two friends just enjoying some time together and there's this restaurant that I've been dying to try. It's been getting rave reviews. I didn't want to make the decision without you but seeing as how there were two reservations left for 8 o'clock, I grabbed it. I hope that was okay," she asked softly.

"No that's fine, Lana," Clark said distractedly, only half-listening to what Lana was saying because he was replaying what she had just said about Lois and Bruce Wayne. Lois is too common for Bruce Wayne. He socializes with starlets, models, heiresses. He would never be serious about her. Lois would be just another conquest.

He slid a glance over at Lois' empty desk then back at his computer screen and the image of a soaking wet Bruce Wayne with two tall, one blonde and one brunette, females wearing white bath robes draped on each arm. The pen in his hand snapped cleanly in two as the image of Gotham's playboy smiled smugly back at him.

~*~

"Damn that man," Lois muttered as she flipped her cell phone shut. She had just gotten off the phone with _Sophie's_ to make reservations and found out that Bruce had already beaten her to it.

Ever since she had left the bullpen to track down Jimmy in his office, she had been trying to get through to the restaurant but the line had been busy and now she knew why. Bruce had been on with them setting up his own personal arrangements for the evening or so the maitre d' had insinuated.

It was going to be a three ring circus, she thought grumpily. It was bad enough that they had announced their 'dinner date' in front of the entire _Planet _but with him making the reservations, she could just imagine what the place was going to be like – paparazzi, gawkers, fanboys and fangirls. Hell, she wouldn't be surprised if he brought along his female entourage but then a thought occurred to her.

Lois stopped in the middle of the crowded hallway. Her coworkers grumbled and groused as they had to divert their paths to avoid bumping into her. As people brushed past her, she tapped her cell phone against the manila folder in her hand while staring off into space. "Are you trying to cut me off at the pass because you know I know you didn't come here just to return my pen? That you actually came to Metropolis with an ulterior motive. Are you trying to avoid being alone with me Mr. Wayne?"

A sly smile slowly appeared as Lois thought of the challenge Bruce was presenting to her. He was trying to set up obstacles, barriers in order to avoid being grilled by Lois Lane. Well a little paparazzi and a crowded restaurant never stopped her. Bruce had another think coming if he thought flashing cameras, a gaggle of bimbos and a restaurant full of curious diners was going to stop her. She admitted that it wasn't going to be easy to question him but she always relished challenges and that certainly was what Bruce Wayne was to her. A difficult, perplexing but oh so intriguing challenge. Just the way she liked it.

She loved challenges. It was probably the main reason why she loved being an investigative reporter - trying to get that scoop, dig up a lead, extracting a quote from a stubborn source. She could never understand people who wanted predictability. Nope, give her difficult almost impossible challenge any day over boring and mundane and that was exactly what Bruce Wayne was shaping up to be.

"Now the first question I'm going to hit him with is --"

"Hey Lois."

"Hey," she answered absently but then she realized who had just greeted her.

"Olsen," she shouted.

Jimmy stopped and turned back to face her. "Yeah Lois?"

Lois marched up to him glaring at him through narrowed eyes. "What is my number one rule?"

Jimmy furrowed his brow in confusion. "Umm, don't take pictures of Lois."

"Right. So, will you please explain to me what these are," she asked tightly as she extracted a stack of 8½ x 11 photos from the manila folder and shoved them in his face.

Jimmy took the glossy photos from Lois and glanced at them. "They're pictures of the crime scene from last night," he said as handed them back to her. He walked into his dark room/office quickly extracting the media card from his camera that hung around his neck and popped it into the media drive reader.

"Really," Lois drawled as she followed him into the room. "Crime scene photos?"

Jimmy looked up from the photos of Bruce Wayne exiting the _Daily Planet_ speedily popping up on the computer monitor and nodded at her.

"Interesting when there are no pictures of the crime. All I'm seeing are shots of the officer and me arguing and maybe a blurry image of what could be the coroner's arm."

Jimmy flashed Lois a sheepish look. "Lois, they had that place sealed up tighter than the White House."

"That's when you hoof it up to the roof and use that little thing called a telephoto lens. Seriously Jimmy, I shouldn't have to be telling you how to do your job."

"It's never stopped you before," he muttered.

"Hey, I'm just trying to help you out. Do you really want another Polar Bear assignment?"

"No," Jimmy grudgingly admitted but then he perked up when he saw the photos he had snapped of Lois and Bruce eyeing each other in the bullpen start to appear. "So, I see the famous Bruce Wayne made a special trip to return your pen Lois. I mean he didn't have to personally bring it to you. He could've mailed it or had someone else return it."

"Oh please Jimmy, don't you be jumping on the Bruce Wayne bandwagon," she scoffed.

Jimmy frowned at Lois' quick retort. "You don't think he came here just to return your pen?"

"Jimmy, if you believe that he came to Metropolis only to return my pen then I've got oceanfront property to sell you in Colorado."

"You think he's here for another reason? That he's just using your pen as a cover?"

"As I've been telling you, there's always a story in the making until proven otherwise and I am going to find out the real reason why Mr. Wayne is here in Metropolis. Tonight. At dinner." Lois turned to walk out of the office when Jimmy called out to her.

"Hey Lois, can I ask a favor?"

Lois turned back to him, doubt clearly etched on her features. "If you're asking to borrow my car again because you forgot to put gas in your scooter, then the answer is no."

"Lois I told you it's a motor bike not a scooter."

"Potato, potahto. Believe me Jimmy, if it's not a Harley, it's a scooter," she retorted. "So what's the favor?"

Jimmy shuffled his feet before he answered. "I know you're not exactly thrilled about me marrying Chloe."

"Jimmy I told you, it's not you marrying Chloe. It's the two of you marrying in general. I mean you've got your whole life ahead of you. Why rush things? You guys are babes."

Jimmy frowned, "We're only a year younger than you."

"And do you see me running down the aisle? No."

"Look Lois, I know you're real down on love right now but believe me, when find your one true love, you just have to grab onto her and not let go." Jimmy then walked up to Lois. He placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "And don't worry Lois, I know your true love is out there. You just have to be open to the power of love."

Lois looked down at Jimmy's hand than up at him. She then rolled her eyes at his ever chipper, positive attitude, "Glad you're such the cock-eyed optimist."

"You should try it some time."

Lois only raised her eyebrow and stared at him.

"Right, I forgot who I was talking to." Jimmy quickly cleared his throat as his hand dropped from her shoulder but he continued, "So, Chloe and I have discussed this and I was wondering if you would be my best man?"

A silence descended over the room as Lois stared unblinkingly at him. The only sound that could be heard was the low hum of the desktop computer and the tick-tock from the large round clock on the wall. After another beat passed, Lois finally spoke. "Excuse me?"

"You know, stand up for me at my wedding."

"If you didn't happen to notice, I'm missing a few key components down there."

Not dissuaded by Lois' sarcastic remark Jimmy continued, "Well think about, we're friends right?"

"Yeah," she answered hesitantly as she mulled over what he had just said. "How did that happen," she exclaimed.

"Just can't resist the Olsen charm," Jimmy said with a bright smile.

Lois threw him another pointed unblinking stare.

"Look, we've been through a lot together, faced death, thugs, a Lex minion, Lionel Luthor and I know we bicker and disagree, but I see you like the sister I never had and well it only seemed right to have you there next to me on my important day," he finished with a small, abashed smile.

Hearing the earnestness in Jimmy's words and the truth to his words, Lois smiled as she slowly nodded her head. "If you still want me despite my objections to the whole marriage thing, I'd be honored to be your best man. Or is it woman?"

Jimmy's abashed smile blossomed into a full blown smile.

"So tell me, who is Chloe asking to be her maid of honor?"

"You're never going to believe this but Clark."

Lois felt her lips twitch as she tried to contain the snort that was lodged in the back of her throat. When she couldn't hold it in any longer she let out a bark of laughter which then dissolved into a five minute laughing jag. All she could do as she as she was doubled over with laughter was hold her stomach while trying to catch her breath.

Jimmy looked at Lois confused. "I admit Lois, Clark being the maid of honor is amusing but . . ."

After taking several deep breaths in trying to get her laughter under control, Lois glanced over at Jimmy, "Sorry, but I was just picturing Clark in pink taffeta." She then let out another snort.

Jimmy formulating that mental picture of Clark Kent in pink taffeta started to snicker then he too broke down into a fit of laughter along with Lois. It was then when Chloe walked into Jimmy's office.

She was frowning as she looked at her laughing fiancé and cousin. "Guys, what's going on?"

"Hey Bright Eyes, Lois and I were just picturing Clark in pink taffeta."

This earned another snort from Lois and a conspiratorial grin from Jimmy.

When Chloe threw Jimmy a confused look he clarified, "I asked Lois to be my best man and she had asked who you were asking to be your maid of honor."

Finally catching on, Chloe smiled but then looked at Lois with a concerned look. "Lois I hope you understand why I'm asking Clark to stand up for me at my wedding."

Lois waved her hand in dismissal. "Hey if it gets me out of wearing yards of pink taffeta, I'm fine. But seriously Chloe," Lois said as she moved to stand in front of her cousin, "I totally understand why you would choose Clark. I don't think there's any question that Clark is your best friend, man or woman, and you should have the person you're closest to, well outside of your fiancé, by your side." She then gave Chloe a playful bump in the shoulder, "Like I said, if it means I get to wear a tuxedo and Clark gets the pink taffeta. Well . . ."

Chloe let out a sigh of relief. "You don't how nervous I was Lois. I wasn't sure if you were going to be offended if I didn't ask you."

"No worries, Chlo."

"So Bright Eyes," Jimmy drawled as he sidled up next to Chloe. "Of what do I owe the pleasure? I thought you were going to be tied up in meetings with Lana at the foundation."

"Actually, I'm here for Lois. I wanted to ask her why she never told me about her meeting Bruce Wayne when she was in Gotham," she explained as she stared directly at Lois.

"Uggghhh," groaned Lois. "Chloe, I told you it's no big deal."

"Lois, you can't just brush off something like this. It's Bruce Wayne. One of the wealthiest, most powerful men in the world has traveled all the way to Metropolis to return your pen. Don't tell me that nothing happened in Gotham."

"Nothing did happen. We just had dinner, shared some wine and traded stories." Lois stopped and frowned then added, "Actually, now that I think about it. I'm the one that did most of the storytelling."

"But Lois --"

"Chlo, don't see Bruce's appearance at the _Daily Planet_ or my having dinner with him as having any deeper meaning."

"Lois, you had to have made an impression for him to come to Metropolis."

"Chloe, the only impression I'm making is leaving bite marks on people's asses." Lois stopped and frowned. Her eyes widened at first but then she grimaced when she realized how that sounded. She quickly cleared her throat and then tried to clarify. "Okay, that didn't come out right. What I meant was, I seem to have acquired the reputation of being a pit bull on a pot roast when it comes to chasing down stories. I don't let go until I uncover the truth."

"Actually Chloe, Lois thinks Bruce Wayne is here for another reason," Jimmy added.

"Really," Chloe asked as she looked at Lois.

"Trust me Chloe, Bruce Wayne is here for anything but me and even if he did travel all the way here to see me, which he didn't, it's because I didn't immediately fall to my knees and kiss the ground that he walked on. His ego is just smarting. However, be that as it may, Bruce Wayne doesn't care one iota about the opinion of one lowly reporter. No, he's definitely in Metropolis for another reason and I'm going to find out exactly what that is."

_**To be continued . . .**_


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"You're sure I can't get you something to drink?"

"Yeah, I'm sure," Lois answered directing a slight nod at the man behind the bar. The bartender flashed her a courteous smile before he walked away to the other end of the bar to fill an order. She heaved a sigh as she stole a quick look around _Sophie's_.

For a restaurant that was considered one of the 'it' places spots in Metropolis and being filled to capacity, the place was quiet, not loud or raucous. Of course this low-key atmosphere was due in part to it being a five-star, fine dining eating establishment as well as its patrons not being the run of the mill Metropolitans. However despite the quiet atmosphere, Lois could feel an anticipatory excitement in the air amongst the restaurant's employees and as well as extending to some of the patrons. Every once and while she would catch someone saying in a hushed whisper 'Gotham' or 'Bruce Wayne' or 'spoiled heir'.

His infamous reputation has certainly preceded him, Lois thought as she started to turn back to the bar but paused when the activity beyond the front windows of the restaurant caught her eye. Even though ceiling to floor sheer drapes covered the windows and blocked the activity going on outside she could see the shadow of a large crowd of people gathering just beyond the drapes which was highlighted intermittently by the flash of a paparazzi camera going off. It was obvious word had gotten out that Bruce Wayne was going to patronize _Sophie's_.

Lois shook her head at the buzz that seemed to surround Bruce. It was even more than what surrounded Oliver and she should know considering her once having a taste of being in the glare of the public eye herself back when they had dated. But seeing the mass of onlookers and paparazzi growing increasingly larger outside the restaurant, Bruce was in a whole different league. He probably couldn't sneeze without the general public knowing about it and that unto itself made her wonder about him – the real Bruce Wayne.

Was Bruce Wayne the vacuous, womanizing, partying playboy that the gossips columnists salivated over or was he the astute business man that bought up the shares of his company to ensure that it remained under the control of a Wayne or was he the lost son of the slain Thomas and Martha Wayne or was Bruce Wayne none of the above and someone completely different. Just who was Bruce Wayne?

Now that would be a story she would love to sink her teeth into, she thought as she finally turned back to the bar. If she lived in Gotham, she'd be all over him. So to speak.

She glanced at her watch and upon seeing the time let out a tiny sigh of irritation. Five minutes later since the last time she looked at her watch which was five minutes after the previous time she had looked at her watch. In other words, it was 8:40 and there was still no sign of Bruce.

The bartender passed by her and gave her another small smile. Lois flashed him a tight smile. She knew there was a layer of pity underneath the bartender's polite smile. He's probably thinking 'why doesn't she just leave, it's obvious the guy isn't going to show'.

Lois returned to what she had been doing ever since she had realized that Bruce was going to be late, not fashionably late but just plain late - drumming her fingers impatiently on the highly polished mahogany surface of the bar. With his reputation for womanizing, partying and unpredictability, it would be just her luck that Bruce had found a flock of Wayne groupies, totally forgotten about their dinner at _Sophie's_ and was currently out about painting Metropolis red with his gaggle of groupies while she sat here at the bar like Miss Lonely Heart desperate for a date.

"I should've just wrestled the damn pen out his hand," she mumbled. "Why did I even agree to this?" Because you want to know the real reason why he is here in Metropolis and not the flimsy excuse that everyone else seems to be buying – that on a whim he came to Metropolis to return a pen to one lowly reporter, her mind quickly retorted. The real reason you accepted his dinner invitation is because you're intrigued by him. After catching those glimpses of a Bruce who didn't quite match up with the Bruce that was in the public eye, you want to find out for once and for all who exactly lies beneath that tall, dark, charming exterior.

"Okay, I'll give him five more minutes and if he doesn't show then this reporter is heading back to the _Planet_ because there are more important stories to be reported on than a visiting playboy billionaire. Like this," she said with eager anticipation as her Blackberry which sat on the bar began to vibrate alerting her to an incoming message.

Lois picked up her Blackberry. Immediately forgetting about her very late dinner acquaintance, she opened the incoming email. It was from her informant inside the Metropolis police crime scene analysis department.

This was what Lois had never understood about Chloe's approach towards investigating and reporting on a story back when she had been working for the _Planet_. Her cousin had relied heavily on the Internet for leads and tips. But as Lois had learned through the General but also through sheer experience, having actual human contacts, human intelligence got you further than any computer could. The Internet could only get you so far but human informants were the ones that provided the eyes and ears that were a necessary requirement in investigative journalism.

Lois frowned as she read the content of the newest email. According to her source, they had just done an analysis of a new drug on the street, the likes of which had never been seen before. This new drug's effects were equivalent to being jacked up on a megadose of adrenaline but it also gave the user a feeling of invincibility. Her informant went onto to say that the user with this pseudo-adrenaline pumping through his body could perform almost superhuman acts and in addition, not feel pain because he was riding on such a high. However, once the user came down off of this pseudo-adrenaline high, he crashed hard which seemed to result in a massive coronary.

As Lois saved the message, she wondered if this new drug was connected in some way to the recent string of brutal murders. Being jacked up on adrenaline could cause someone who was mentally unstable to begin with to carry out inhumane acts like eviscerating and crushing his victims. Lois immediately emailed her source inside Metropolis' major crimes unit.

_Hey my friendly, neighborhood Oreo Lover,_

_Word is new drug on the street – like pure adrenaline. Who? What? Where? When? How? A link to the murders? Give me the scoop._

_Your globe-trotting friend_

She chuckled at the alias of her informant - Oreo Lover. And her informant certainly was that. Instead of asking for money for his, or her, tips, her informant wanted payment with packages of Oreos, preferably double stuffed. It took all kinds, she thought sarcastically – her Oreo-loving informant, her arrow-wielding ex-boyfriend, the vigilante who dressed himself up as a black bat. What a world.

Just as she hit the send button, she sensed a change in the air. The whispering amongst the patrons became more pronounced, the wait staff became more antsy, the camera flashes beyond the sheer drapes became more frenetic lighting up the exterior of the restaurant as if a flood light had just been switched on. Just as the front door opened the excitement inside and outside of _Sophie's_ reached a crescendo.

Lois swiveled around on her barstool to watch the very late, suave, debonair billionaire slowly saunter into the restaurant leaving the paparazzi scrambling to get the prize photo of who Bruce Wayne was meeting at _Sophie's_ but their hopes were dashed as the front door was quickly slammed shut.

Lois ignored the curious eyes of the restaurant's patrons. In fact, the world around her slowly faded away to where the only person that existed at that moment was Bruce. Her gaze never wavered from the man dressed in a white dress shirt, light steel grey tie and a dark grey single breasted wool suit slowly approach. With one hand tucked in his pants, he flashed her a lazy smile as he came to a stop directly in front of her.

Lois arched a finely shaped eyebrow. "Well, if it isn't the Prince of Gotham. Nice of you to finally bestow us lowly subjects with your lofty presence."

While the restaurant patrons whispered back and forth commenting on the female's brash comment, Bruce responded with a widening of his lazy smile.

Having to maintain his public playboy persona even though he was in Metropolis, Bruce knew he had to arrive late to _Sophie's_ but he also instinctively knew that his tardiness was not going to sit well with Lois and upon hearing her impertinent greeting, his instincts had been right.

As Alfred had pulled the Rolls up to the front of the restaurant, he quickly had assessed the large crowd of paparazzi and curious observers grow as each second passed. Just before he had exited the car he had muttered a few words to Alfred in which Alfred only nodded his head in response. His public mask firmly in place, Bruce fastened the bottom button of his suit jacket as he climbed out of the car.

As he passed by the onlookers and the photographers, he smiled casually at them but all present could see that there was no friendliness in the smile or warmth in his eyes. Just a bored lazy expression as he walked towards the towering brushed brass and glass doors of the restaurant.

Upon entering the interior of the restaurant he once again quickly surveyed his surroundings noting that the restaurant was filled to capacity with the exception of one or two tables and that all eyes, patrons and wait staff alike, were directed at him but then the gawking patrons, the anxious maitre d', the muffled noise of the crowd just beyond the glass doors faded away as his eyes settled on the female sitting at the mahogany and glass bar.

Lois was the only one at the bar with exception of the young bartender standing discreetly off to the side. Bruce had noted that she too had turned to observe his entrance. With a calm look gracing her features, she sat on the high barstool her back poker straight, her long shapely legs crossed at the knees, her right hand resting on the bar waiting patiently for his approach. However as he had drawn closer he noticed her fingers were slowly drumming the highly polished wood surface. It was the only outward indication that she was not happy at his lack of punctuality.

As soon as he had come to a stop in front of her, looking directly in her eyes, he saw her hazel eyes flare in annoyance right before she arched an eyebrow and greeted him with the same exact words she had spoken at their first meeting. Hearing those words and the impudent tone of voice, Bruce could not help the broadening of his smile that seemed to have appeared without any conscious thought. Lois Lane really did not care where she was or the company with whom she was keeping. She spoke her mind.

He had initiated this dinner invitation in part because he wanted to see if she would take up the challenge of another dinner with him but he also had extended the invitation because he was still intrigued by her and standing here in the middle of the restaurant, surrounded by the curious residents of Metropolis, her eyes sparkling with annoyance, her fingers drumming with impatience, her body radiating a mixture of power and energy, he could not deny it. He was drawn to Lois Lane and he wanted to continue being the focus of that heady combination of energy and power for a while longer before he had to leave her behind and return to Gotham.

"I see some things just . . . are. No matter where you are - whether you're in Gotham or here in Metropolis or even on a yacht in the South Seas."

Bruce raised an eyebrow in silent inquiry.

"Bruce Wayne making the splashy entrance."

Bruce turned to look at the front of the restaurant and to the paparazzi beyond. He and then turned back to her. "You think that was splashy," he asked offhandedly.

"Trust me. That was a splashy entrance."

"I guess you would know something about splashy entrances."

Lois immediately frowned, not sure what Bruce was referring to.

"Oliver Queen," Bruce added when he saw Lois' puzzled frown.

Lois' eyes narrowed slightly. "You've been checking up on me Mr. Wayne?"

Bruce shrugged his shoulders non-plussed that he got called on looking into Lois' personal life and not just her professional life.

Lois slowly nodded her head as she looked pointedly at him. I guess I rank a notch above his groupies seeing as how it had earned a look into my past, she thought. Maybe he's curious as to why Lois Lane didn't immediately fall to her knees and kiss the ground that Bruce Wayne walked on. Probably wanted to see what was wrong with me, she snorted silently.

"Let's just say Oliver Queen does more of a swan dive into the paparazzi pool. Pretty, elegant, smooth but very little splash. You, on the other hand, seem to have more of a cannonball effect. It's all just a matter of how big of splash you wish to make." She looked Bruce directly in the eye. "Actually," she paused as she gave him the once-over but then narrowed her eyes in contemplation. "It almost seems more like a diversionary tactic. Making the huge splashy entrance because you want to deflect the public's attention away from something else."

Bruce only smiled at Lois' observation of his interaction with the public. He masterfully masked his surprise by keeping his facial features still and didn't shift while under her direct gaze. However, he was slightly unnerved at how close she was to the truth.

He always made it a point to have memorable entrances wherever he went. It was all part of the public act – to divert the public's attention for no one would ever think a publicity hound like Bruce Wayne, the Prince of Gotham, was actually the Batman, the silent defender of the streets of Gotham.

Despite being thrown for a loop, Bruce did not look away. In fact he looked Lois straight in the eye. Not wanting to give the slightest indication that she was very close to the mark. Not wanting to give the slightest indication that he was hiding something.

Lois, who had voiced her observation, was really just throwing the proverbial wet spaghetti on the wall and seeing what stuck but as she voiced the words she had slowly realized that there might actually be some truth behind them. In a way it did make some sort of sense especially taking into account what she had previously observed, those rare glimpses of a different Bruce Wayne.

Even though he didn't blink, look away nor did he fidget under her direct gaze, she saw something flicker behind those green-hazel eyes. There it was again, she thought, that tiny intimation that there was more to him than how the world knew him. If she hadn't been looking at him so closely, she would've missed it completely.

For a long moment, the two looked at each other, neither diverting their attention from the other until finally the typical Bruce Wayne, billionaire playboy smile slowly appeared and Bruce said off-handedly, "What do I have to hide Miss Lane? I have no qualms with the public knowing who and what I am. As I've said before, when in Rome . . ."

"Yes, when in Rome."

He flashed her one of his charming smiles. "Now, as to the reason why you and I will be having dinner at this fine eating establishment." Bruce reached into his jacket and pulled out her gold pen which was attached to a few sprigs of yellow Dendrobrium orchids by a yellow ribbon. "Your pen," he said as he held out his offering.

Lois slowly reached out and took her pen and the tiny bouquet of yellow orchids. The same flower that was on their dinner table in her hotel room that night in Gotham, she silently observed. She could not help the tiny smile that flirted at the corner of her lips as she raised the delicate butter yellow blossoms up to her nose, letting the petals tease it.

Bruce stood captivated watching the petals tease the tip of Lois' nose. Just as he had chosen the yellow orchid for their first dinner date, he had known that the flower had to be part of their second dinner date.

As it turned out he and Alfred had to go to four different florists to find the rare flower. He wouldn't settle for something as common as roses. The orchid's uniqueness and it being a hard flower to find was exactly the reason why he had chosen it in the first place. The yellow Dendrobrium orchid was a rare flower and Lois was a rare woman. A perfect match.

Lois glanced up at Bruce over the yellow blossoms. Their eyes instantly caught. A strong, powerful undercurrent of electricity passed between them. Their gazes remained captured, never wavering from the other.

They became lost in a world where it was just the two of them, ignoring the conversations swirling around them, paying no heed to the maitre d' standing quietly just beyond Bruce's shoulder, unaware of the cacophony of the noise from outside that permeated the restaurant when its front door opened. It wasn't until the maitre d' cleared his throat that the connection broke and they both realized where they were and that everyone in the restaurant was staring at them.

"Excuse me sir," the maitre d' said somewhat nervously to Bruce's back. "But you're table is ready."

The interruption by the maitre d' gave Lois the much needed distraction to regain her composure. Wow, she thought as she promptly looked away. There was almost like a powerful . . . connection. Weird, she thought with a dismissive shake of her head.

Sliding off the barstool, Lois quickly cleared her throat as she grabbed her Blackberry off of the bar and slipped it into her handbag using it as a distraction to gather her scattered thoughts. She cleared her throat once again and as she looked at Bruce she flashed him a small but somewhat wobbly smile, still somewhat shaken by what had just passed between them.

Bruce did not say anything nor did he give her a look that he had felt something. He only gave her a small, Bruce Wayne smile. Lois let out a small sigh of relief. Clearly he didn't feel anything unusual pass between them. Good, it was only my overactive imagination, Lois thought. The world had righted itself and she once again felt like her old self – sure, confident and in control. Just the way she liked it.

Bruce stepped aside extending his arm out in front of him, allowing her to take the lead as the maitre d' started to lead them to their table. She nodded at Bruce as she walked by him. She didn't take more than two steps before she came to an immediate stop. She felt Bruce come up behind but she was frowning fiercely at the couple that was standing before her with mouths agape.

"Smallville? What the hell are you doing here?"

_**To be continued . . .**_


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

A hushed silence fell over the restaurant as everyone became aware of the possibility of an impending confrontation between Bruce Wayne's dinner companion and the tall dark haired gentleman who had just walked in with a petite, delicate female on his arm. Everyone, young and old, patron and employee stopped and stared at Metropolis and Gotham's wealthiest and most beautiful standing in the middle of the room.

Curious eyes darted back and forth between Lois and Bruce and Clark and Lana. The air was charged with anticipation, all waiting for something explosive to happen between these four people. There was a moment of tense silence before the restaurant patrons started whispering amongst themselves, quietly texting friends, furtively snapping pictures of the two couples with their camera phones wanting to show friends and colleagues that they were witness to a Bruce Wayne public event.

Clark glanced uncomfortably around the room, certain that Lois' vocal outburst had made them the center of attention and from what he saw he was right. Everyone had stopped what they were doing and were now focusing their undivided attention on the four of them.

As his gaze passed over the restaurant crowd, Clark picked up various snippets of conversations. Just as he suspected, not only were they the focus of everyone's attention but they were also the center of everyone's conversation – _That's Lana Lang, Lex Luthor's ex-wife. I heard she had left Lex for this guy, her childhood sweetheart . . . Isn't that Senator Kent's son _. . . _They do make a sweet couple . . . That Bruce Wayne is one lucky bastard . . . Yeah, but when you're Bruce Wayne, women that beautiful are tripping over each other to fall at his feet . . . But I don't think she's the typical woman he dates. Did you hear the way she spoke to him? Not the least bit worried that she would offend him . . . Which is exactly why Wayne is out with her. She's a__ challenge for him. Guys like him love the thrill of the chase . . . It looks like Wayne's date and Lana Lang's date know each other. What do you think is going to happen . . . Wayne's date looks like she wants to kill him . . . Do you think she's going to haul off and slug him?"_

Clark swung his head around to see what Lois was doing. He gulped. Fire was shooting out her eyes and steam was pouring out of her ears. "Lois, what a coincidence," he said with a laugh but even to his ears it sounded hollow.

Hearing Clark's feigned innocence, Lois narrowed her eyes till they were tiny slits. She knew they were the center of attention and all of the restaurant was talking about them but she didn't care. She was solely focused on one person and that was her work partner and friend. His mere presence at _Sophie's _had just made himself a permanent resident on her shit list.

"Yeah, real coincidence," she drawled as she continued to stare at him through narrowed eyes. She could not believe he had the nerve to show his face at _S__ophie's _after all the times she had confronted him on his annoying habit of crashing her dates. Not that this was a real date but still, the fact that Clark had 'accidently' shown up at the same place that she and Bruce were having dinner was all too convenient for her. He was so going to pay for this. "In fact," Lois continued. "If I didn't know any better, I could almost say your presence here was deliberate."

Before Clark could refute her, Lana interjected. "Actually Lois, I've been wanting to come here ever since I had read its write-up in the paper. It just so happened that I got the last reservation for this evening."

Lois immediately swung her gaze over to Clark's past, present and future love, Lana Lang. As soon as she had seen Clark standing with Lana in the middle of the restaurant, Lois knew she had made the right decision in stepping back and summarily dismissing whatever feelings she was possibly developing towards Clark. To stop anything from developing into something real and more importantly before it took a hold of her heart. It would have only led to frustration and most likely heartache. Looking at the two them standing before her, one would have to be deaf, dumb and blind to not know you were always going to be second best to Lana in Clark's life. Even with all their ups and downs, somehow, someway these two always found their way back to each other. There was no denying it, Clark and Lana were inevitable.

Lois darted her eyes back and forth between Clark and Lana, looking at them suspiciously. She wondered if what Lana said was the truth or if she, being a good, dutiful friend, was covering for Clark. "Well good for you," Lois finally said, her voice laced with saccharine sweetness. "I'm so glad you two are finally able to try this fine eating establishment. And tonight . . . of all nights."

Clark chose to ignore her sarcasm. He turned to Bruce who was standing there looking every bit the globe-trotting, womanizing playboy - dressed in his custom made suit, his dark hair perfectly coiffed, his hands tucked in his pockets, his lips twisted into a small arrogant smile while silently observing beneath a hooded gaze the verbal exchange between Lois and him and yet, Clark observed, there was an air of detachment and even boredom surrounding Bruce. His eyes lacked warmth. In fact, they were distant even cold.

Clark stole a quick glance at Lois. He really hoped that what she said was true, that she was only going out with Bruce because she wanted to get her pen back and not because Bruce charmed her. Unconsciously Clark straightened his spine as he stared pointedly at Lois' dinner date. "Nice to see you again Bruce," Clark said in polite greeting.

"Clark," Bruce said.

Unimpressed by Bruce and his conceited attitude, Clark called upon the manners that were instilled in him by his parents and introduced Bruce to Lana. "I'd like you to meet Lana Lang."

As Bruce held his direct stare, Clark got the sense that Bruce knew he was developing a dislike for him and found this amusing. Bruce held his stare an extra second before he turned to Lana and graced her with that familiar charming yet cocksure smile that seemed to woo many a female. Bruce tipped his head in greeting to Lana.

"Mr. Wayne," Lana said, her soft voice interrupting his thoughts.

"Please, call me Bruce," he replied easily.

"And call me Lana. It's a pleasure to finally meet you Bruce. Metropolis has been all abuzz over your arrival."

Bruce furrowed his brow in confusion, "Abuzz? Really?"

"Like I said, a cannonball effect," Lois said under her breath as she slid Bruce a knowing glance then punctuating her statement with a smirk.

Bruce looked over at Lois. He shrugged his shoulders with casual indifference. However, his blasé attitude was offset by a small smile that teased the corner of his lips.

Clark as did the rest of the restaurant noted that this smile he directed at Lois was not detached or fake like the ones he had given everyone else. With Lois there was actually a warmth even gentleness behind it.

Is this how Bruce operated, Clark wondered as he watched the dare he say flirtatious exchange between Lois and he. To make the woman feel special, different by favoring her with a private, special smile rather than the token detached, smug smile that is so often seen in the photographs of him.

Clark looked back and forth between Lois and Bruce but then he saw something that made him pause. Despite the typical Lois Lane smirk she was sending Bruce's way, Lois' eyes twinkled with mischief and then right before his eyes, her smirk slowly transformed into a small genuine smile.

Clark looked long and hard at Lois. What was going on, he thought. He wouldn't think Lois would fall for a predictable move like that. He expected Lois to see right through Bruce and his slick ways and yet here she was responding to Bruce in an unLois-like way.

Clark stood a bit straighter. His brow puckered. As Lois and Bruce's gazes continued to hold, Clark felt a twist in his gut. Was there was some validity in what Chloe had said, that something more might have occurred between Lois and Bruce in Gotham?

Someone behind Bruce coughed.

Breaking eye contact with Lois, Bruce turned to Clark and with his typical smug smile firmly in place, he asked Clark, "Why don't you and Lana join us?"

"Oh I don't think --" Lois began but she was immediately cut off by Clark who said, "That would be nice. Thank you."

Bruce turned to the maitre d' who was standing off to the side and silently signaled the change in plans while Lois once again scowled at Clark.

Clark opted not to look in Lois' direction.

Bruce turned back to the group. He casually slipped a hand into his pocket as he looked over at Clark. "So Clark, I see you now work at the _Planet_. I guess that organic farming didn't work out like you had hoped."

"You know that I was an organic farmer," Clark asked taken aback that Bruce knew what he did before he started working at the _Planet_.

"Lois had talked all about your new foray over dinner."

Clark straightened his back and squared his shoulders as he peered at Lois with piqued curiosity. Lois had talked about him in that amount of detail over dinner with Bruce. "Really," he said aloud.

Lois rolled her eyes at the smug tone in Clark's voice. "Don't get such a big head Smallville. I was only enlightening Bruce of all the wild and wacky things that have happened in my life ever since that night I found you wandering around stark naked in the middle of a cornfield," she said with a cheeky grin.

Clark's shoulders slumped as he expelled a heavy sigh. "Lois," he groaned in frustration. "Why do you have to keep telling everyone that?"

"What?"

When Clark rolled his eyes, Lois sighed in exasperation. "Oh come on Smallville, you have to admit the way we met is definitely something to talk about."

When Clark shook his head in frustration, Bruce interjected. "A beautiful woman finding you wandering around naked and lost in a cornfield. Impressive Clark, I need to remember that."

Lois looked askance at Bruce. "Believe me Mr. Wayne, you don't need to seek pick-up advice from Clark. Our first meeting was memorable all on its own."

"So I did make an impression," he declared. As he looked at Lois, his eyes twinkled with mischief while a teasing smile caught at the corners of his mouth.

Lois groaned, realizing that Bruce had just thrown her words back in her face. Damn the man, she thought petulantly. However, she thought, there was no way in hell she was going to let him get the upper hand. "You males and having to be stroked all the time," she groused. "You know, I may be a hands on girl but there will be no stroking from me tonight. I --" Lois immediately snapped her mouth shut when she heard Clark groan 'Lois', Lana snicker behind a cough and Bruce looking at her with keen interest and a devilish twinkle in his eye.

Lois reran what she had just said and she herself groaned out loud. Good one Lois, she thought irritably. She quickly cleared her throat. "Okay, that didn't come out right. Clearly I need food because I'm just saying crazy things . . . Yeaaah," she muttered as she looked away.

The maitre d' quietly cleared his throat as he came up behind Bruce. "Excuse me Mr. Wayne but your table is ready."

"Oh wonderful," Lois said with false cheeriness but under her breath she mumbled, "You couldn't have come two seconds earlier."

Lana led the way, following the maitre d'. Clark followed her who was trailed by Lois and coming up in the rear was Bruce. As they made their way to their table, Lois said through gritted teeth to Clark's back, "You are dead Smallville. Dead."

"Lois," Clark began but was instantly cut off by her.

"Oh don't even start," Lois snapped. "You are so transparent."

"Lois, I swear," Clark muttered under his breath, "I didn't show up here on purpose."

"Yes you did."

"No I didn't," Clark rebuked.

"Yes you did."

"No I didn't."

They continued this heated exchange until they reached the table.

"Shhhh," Lois hissed as she sat down in the chair the maitre d' had pulled out for her. Clark took the seat to her left while Bruce sat down at her right.

One of the wait staff handed out the menus, another silently filled their glasses with sparkling water while the maitre d' took everyone's drink orders. Meanwhile, the restaurant patrons finally went back to eating and drinking realizing that the fireworks had ended.

Once the last of the wait staff had scurried away, an awkward silence fell over the table. Lois, still fuming that Clark was acting just like he had with all her dates, the big, over-protective brother, eyeballed Clark while slowly drumming her fingers on the tabletop. Clark, ignoring Lois, stared across the table at Bruce trying to figure out what was Bruce's real motivation, was he just pursuing Lois because she proved a challenge or could he actually be interested in her. Bruce, acting his part of the spoiled playboy, reclined in his chair meeting Clark's direct stare with a small smirk but all the while was silently observing the interplay between Lois, Clark and Lana. Lana sitting next to Clark darted her eyes back and forth between Bruce Wayne, Lois and Clark unsure of the tension that seemed to exist between the three.

Another few moments of awkward silence passed when their drinks arrived. Just as the waiter placed in front of Bruce a crystal tumbler filled a quarter of the way up with the finest single malt scotch, Clark finally broke the silence. "So Bruce, how long do you plan on being in Metropolis?" However, as everyone at the table noted his voice lacked warmth and there was no hint of welcome or friendliness.

Just as Bruce was about to answer, Lois let out small yelp of pain. "Ouch Smallville," she grumbled. Three sets of eyes turned to stare at her. Not the least bit concerned that everyone was staring at her, she reached under the table to rub her sore toe while mumbling to Clark, "What the hell do have on under your pants? Steel shin guards?"

With a raised eyebrow and a small smirk Clark looked at Lois. "Did you just kick me Lois," he asked with feigned innocence.

Without out the slightest hint of embarrassment that she had just been publicly called out, Lois threw Clark a withering look. "No. I was trying to play footsie with Lana but your leg got in the way," she replied sarcastically.

Clark just innocently but smugly looked at Lois while she continued to glare heatedly at Clark.

Lana discreetly cleared her throat before she turned to Bruce whom she noticed was watching the heated exchange between Lois and Clark beneath a hooded gaze. "What brings you to Metropolis Bruce?"

Bruce looked Lana's way. As he swirled the scotch around in his glass, he answered with a lazy smile. "A pen."

"A pen?"

He nodded but then added, "That is owned by a woman for whom I would fly thousands of miles, cross raging oceans, climb the highest mountain to be with. Even if I were breathing my last breath, I would follow her."

Bruce's flowery, sappy, overly romantic remark immediately caught Lois' attention. She ended her staring contest with Clark to look askance at Bruce. "Oh please," she said with an inelegant snort.

"What," Bruce asked with feigned innocence.

Lois looked at him in disbelief. Did he actually think she would buy that explanation? There was no question that Bruce was a ladies' man, a real charmer but crossing oceans, leaving his deathbed to follow her? What a crock.

"I know I've been bonked on the head a number of times but I can tell you not nearly enough to fall for a line like that."

"You don't believe that's the truth? That I would do whatever it took to be with you."

Lois' attention was now focused solely on Bruce. Everyone and everything else had become inconsequential. With a shake of her head, she said on a sigh, "Sorry to disappoint but I'm not one of your gaggle of giggling Waynettes."

"Gaggle of giggling Waynettes?"

"Would you have preferred I called them Bruce's bouncy, bubbly bunnies," Lois asked with a smirk.

Bruce gazed into Lois' hazel eyes and saw that they were alight with mischief. He could not help but chuckle. "You certainly have a way with words."

"It's a gift," she said proudly.

The smile that only teased Bruce's lips a moment before blossomed into an irrepressible smile that Lois could not help but respond with an irrepressible smile of her own.

For a long moment the two gazed into each other's eyes. As their stare became prolonged, there was a slight shift in the air and the once light teasing tone was slowly replaced by something more intense, more electric.

Lois had sensed the change when Bruce hadn't followed up with a sarcastic comment but had only continued to gaze at her. She noticed that his gaze had deepened while his smile had softened.

She tilted her head to one side as she looked deeply into Bruce's hazel green eyes trying to determine if what she was seeing was just a trick of light or if she was actually getting a rare glimpse at that Bruce Wayne whom she thought might exist. The Bruce Wayne who was not the arrogant scoundrel. A private Bruce Wayne.

Two things occurred simultaneously. As Bruce and Lois had become lost in the moment, they both without thought started to play with the yellow blossoms of the Dendrobrium orchid that sat on the table between them. Their fingers danced lightly over the delicate petals many a times coming within a hair's breadth of touching but then flitter away. The dance came to a stop when their fingers finally touched. Both Lois and Bruce visibly jerked. It was as if an electric current shot straight through their bodies. However, at the same exact moment their fingers touched there was a loud shattering sound.

Immediately Lois and Bruce looked over at the source of the sound.

Clark, his jaw clenched as he stared at the two of them, was holding what remained of his crystal wineglass. Around him lay glittering shards of crystal and a growing stain of red wine on the white tablecloth.

"Clark, are you okay," Lois asked with a concerned but confused frown.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Clark answered brusquely. As he handed the broken stem to the waiter who had immediately rushed over to clean up broken glass and spilt wine, Clark could feel three sets of eyes staring at him.

"What the hell happened," Lois continued.

"Uhh, I don't know. I picked up the glass and the next thing I knew it shattered. Weird, huh," he ended on a feeble note as he knew it was a lame explanation seeing as the wineglass was made of heavy crystal that clearly wouldn't break when just being held in one's hand.

Clark was silently berating himself. He could not believe that he had gotten so caught up in watching the interplay between Bruce and Lois that he didn't realize he had been squeezing the wineglass between his fingertips.

"Yeah, weird," Lois said slowly as she eyed the remains of the wineglass with suspicion.

Before Lois could inquire further, Lana pushed back her chair and stood up. "Lois, why don't you and I go to the ladies' room to freshen up," she suggested as she rounded the table.

"But I don't need to go."

"I would like the company Lois," Lana insisted as she reached down and squeezed Lois' arm.

"Ooooo," yelped Lois. Sensing that this wasn't an innocuous invitation, Lois placed her napkin on the table and pushed back her chair but not without saying out loud, "Well, I guess I'm going to the little girl's room even if I don't have to." As she stood, both Bruce and Clark stood up as well. "Boys," she said nodding her head to both men but then she directed a stern, threatening look at Clark and through gritted teeth added, "Play nice."

With that Lois followed Lana and when they reached the far end of the bar, Lana came to a stop and turned to face Lois. However Lana didn't say anything, she just stared at Lois.

Lois drummed her fingers impatiently on the bar as she waited for Lana to speak. When a minute passed and Lana still did not say a word, Lois let out a sigh of frustration. "Okay, you got me alone, what did you want to say."

Lana took deep breath before she spoke. "I'm not going to stand idly by and watch you treat Clark this way."

Lois frowned quizzically. "Treat him what way? What are you talking about?"

"Don't act innocent Lois. I see exactly what you're doing."

"What am I doing," Lois asked, utterly confused at what Lana was inferring.

"You're acting all flirtatious and charming with Bruce to make Clark jealous."

"What," Lois sputtered. "What," she repeated as she shook her head in confusion. "Okay, first, there's nothing romantic between me and Clark for jealousy to even exist. Second, I'm not acting any particular way with Bruce in order to get Clark to notice me or to make him jealous. What you see is what you get. I'm just as witty, bantery and sarcastic with Bruce as I am with Jimmy as I am with Clark. And besides, even though Bruce may have the reputation of being a callous, womanizing playboy, I still wouldn't use him in that way. Pitting one guy against another. That's not my style."

"Please Lois, you can't fool me. It's so clear that you're jerking both men around."

"Then obviously you don't know me that well because I don't play that game. Other than it being underhanded and wrong, it's a waste of time and energy. It never works and all it does is earn you the label of being a bitch." Lois looked Lana directly in the eye. "And if I'm going to be called a bitch, it's not for jerking a guy around by his chain." She looked Lana over from head to toe before continuing. "As much as I admire you for wanting to defend Clark and trying to be a friend to him, you really are not in a position to lecture me. Especially about jerking Clark around."

A puzzled looked appeared on Lana's face. "I'm not sure I understand what you're saying Lois."

"Come on Lana, one can't take two steps without tripping over the trail of broken hearts you've left in your wake."

Lois knew the barb hit home when Lana visibly stiffened and looked away. A beat passed before Lana turned back to her and asked innocently, "Trail of broken hearts?"

"Well, since I've been here there's been Clark, Jason, Clark, Lex, Clark and from what Chloe had told me there was Clark, Whitney, Clark, Adam, Clark . . ." Lois let her voice trail off giving Lana a moment to let her words sink in. "I think it's pretty clear who's the one doing the jerking around so I'd be real careful criticizing me. I'm sure you don't want to be called a hypocrite as well." Not waiting for a response, Lois turned on her heel and walked away.

Meanwhile back at the table, Clark and Bruce took their seats after Lois left but now they sat in silence eyeing the other across the table. Clark sat stiffly in his chair as he silently assessed Lois' dinner companion, the infamous Bruce Wayne. Bruce, unperturbed by Clark's stare, was reclining indolently in his chair. That air of boredom still surrounded him. His lips twisted in a small smirk while he idly played with his glass.

Clark knew as soon as Lana had told him what restaurant they were going to he should have spoken up and suggest that they go someplace else because he knew that Lois was going to accuse him and then kill him for sabotaging her date despite his denials to the contrary. But in the end he had kept silent because truthfully he had wanted to see if what Lana had said was true – that Bruce, to crudely put it, was just viewing Lois as another notch on his bedpost but he had also wanted to see if what Chloe had said was true – that there was more between Lois and Bruce. That more had happened in Gotham than what Lois had led them to believe.

Now, after having watched Bruce in action and having seen Lois and Bruce's interaction, Clark was glad that he interrupted Lois' date. It was obvious that Lois was attracted to Bruce despite her vehement denials. She was clever, blunt, teasing, sarcastic with Bruce and while this behavior might not have been any different than the way she was with Oliver or even him for that matter, what caused him concern, what made him uneasy was that there was definitely something more there in her and Bruce's by-play that was not in her interaction with him or even Oliver.

He could not help but notice there was a sexual tension between the two that was palpable. He felt it as soon as he and Lana walked into the restaurant - Lois and Bruce lost in each other's gazes, oblivious to their surroundings, the highly charged sexual tension that enveloped the two of them.

Clark knew as he returned Bruce's stare that he had to step in and keep an eye on Bruce to make sure that Lois did not get hurt. Especially when he weighed all the mitigating factors - Bruce being Bruce, Lois' penchant for bad boys, Lois never heeding his advice, Lois' proclivity for getting into trouble. There was no question; he had to protect Lois for her own good.

"My intentions are honorable," Bruce said softly, his gaze never wavering.

Clark stilled. It was almost as if Bruce had read his mind. Despite being unnerved, Clark responded in a calm, level voice. "You expect me to believe that?"

Bruce dismissed Clark's question with a casual shrug. "You can believe whatever you want."

Bruce looked across the table at Lois' friend, Clark Kent also known as Smallville. Ever since he and Lois had bumped into Clark and his friend Lana, Bruce had been silently observing the three. It was interesting in what he saw.

There was a definite chemistry between Lois and Clark and, Bruce noted, it did not go unnoticed by Clark's date, Lana Lang. He saw that Lana was fully aware that Clark was paying more attention to Lois than to her and many times he had seen from Lana a flash of hurt or a clenching of her jaw or a look of sadness pass over her delicate features.

However what Bruce found more interesting was Lois and Clark. They argued, they bantered, they snarked. Their banter was teasing, but biting at times however there was no malice behind the words. He could see in their by-play why Lois considered Clark a close friend and vice versa. Despite Lois obviously being angry at Clark for showing up at the restaurant, Bruce knew that Lois wasn't going to end her friendship with Clark over this. From what he had observed and from what Lois had told him during their previous dinner about Clark, the two could be themselves around each other without worry of offending or losing the friendship.

Bruce did wonder as he had watched the interaction between Lois and Clark, why despite the sparks, their relationship never ventured beyond friendship. He didn't get any romantic vibe from Lois towards Clark but the same could not be said of Clark towards Lois. Catching the surreptitious glances Clark threw Lois' way as well as the straightening of the shoulders, the deepening of the voice, the continued staring down from Clark, these were all the signs of a man trying to get the female's attention. Bruce wondered if Clark wanted to cross the lines of friendship and so he gave voice to this notion.

"Although," he drawled as he slowly twirled his glass watching the diffused lights of the restaurant refract off the crystal and deep amber liquid. "Is this really a friend concerned about another friend?"

"What are you talking about?"

Bruce looked up from the glass. "I'm beginning to wonder if your intentions are as honorable and pure, Clark?"

Clark frowned but before he could respond, Lois returned.

"Well, it's nice to see you boys learned to share the sandbox," she commented as she took her seat. Lois stole a quick glance at Bruce and Clark who were staring across the table at each other.

As she had approached the table she sensed the tension between Bruce and Clark was reaching a breaking point and she knew she had to diffuse it before yet one more public spectacle occurred.

Bruce continued to stare knowingly at Clark for a long moment before he looked at Lois and smiled.

Just then Lana returned to the table. "Clark, would you mind if we left?"

Clark who was still frowning at Bruce looked up at Lana. "Is something wrong?"

"I'm not feeling too well," she said, avoiding Lois' gaze. "And I don't think I'll be much fun."

"Of course," Clark said as he rose placing his napkin on the table.

"Good night Lana. I hope you feel better." Lois then looked pointedly at Clark. "See tomorrow at the _Planet_, **Clark**." She placed extra emphasis on his name.

Clark flashed a weak smile at her, knowing full well that he was going to get an earful from her in the morning. Clark then looked over at Bruce and directed a stiff nod his way.

Bruce only raised an eyebrow. With that Clark and Lana exited the restaurant.

A moment of silence passed as Lois watched the front door open exposing the interior of the restaurant to the frenzy of flashes and then close shutting them off from the outside world once again. Lois let out a small sigh before she looked over to Bruce. With an apologetic smile she said, "Sorry about Clark."

Bruce waved his hand in casual dismissal. "Don't worry about it."

Lois stared at the orchid lying on the table before saying, "Clark Kent has the unfortunate habit of bunker-bustering my dates. For some reason he thinks he has to act the over-protective big brother despite me telling him otherwise."

Bruce leaned forward resting his forearms on the table. "Are you so sure it's brotherly concern," he asked softly.

"You mean jealousy?"

When Bruce nodded, Lois chuckled but it lacked any sort of humor. "With anyone else I would agree with you but we're talking about Smallville here. It's not jealousy."

"From what I saw tonight, those were the actions of a jealous man."

Lois looked at Bruce for a long moment before saying, "You sound like a man speaking from experience. So tell me, who were you jealous of Mr. Wayne?"

_**To be continued . . .**_


End file.
